The Ad Dharm movement: religious self-definition and a struggle for equality
Explore the Ad Dharm movement’s religious self-definition and challenge to caste hierarchy in 1920s Punjab.
Doaba and colonial Punjab
Communities & faiths · A guide to the archive
Social histories and belonging
Read self-definition, caste, religious institutions and unequal access through specific movements and community histories.
How to approach this subject
Keep self-identification and the source’s vocabulary visible when reading these entries. The selection concerns social structures, institutions and documented experiences, rather than assigning people to a category from a name or occupation. Compare the historical setting and the evidence for change, and retain disagreement where the sources do not support a single account.
An intentional selection
Begin with these entries
Dalit Sikh histories: equality, labour and institutional power
Dalit Sikh histories connect anti-caste religious teachings with struggles over work, access to institutions and representation in Punjab.
Punjab, with particular studies of village institutions
Mazhabi Sikh histories: religious belonging, labour and military service
Mazhabi Sikh histories include devotional remembrance, changing forms of employment and the unequal opportunities created by colonial recruitment and land settlement.
Historic Punjab and the British Indian Army
Ramdasia Sikh histories: occupations, religious life and regional identities
Ramdasia Sikh histories connect changing work, devotional affiliation and community institutions, with names whose meanings vary across Punjab.
Punjab, particularly Doaba and eastern districts
Women in Punjabi religious institutions: leadership, learning and unequal access
Specific accounts of women’s institutional roles and musical practice show both participation and barriers. The cases span Sikh settings and a Catholic jurisdiction, without claiming to survey every tradition.
Indian Punjab and Punjabi networks in Delhi