Women and the Sikh Diaspora in California

"""Women and the Sikh Diaspora in California is a compelling study of the South Asian diaspora through the lives and imaginaries of 20th century women neglected by history. Music and mobility from the origins of their Sikh religion in the Punjab resonate with the rivers of California in their songs — revolutionary, sacred, folk, and autobiographical. Distinguished by a wealth of research, this evocative volume on Sikh women’s sonic textures is a landmark contribution to audiences worldwide."" Nikky Guninder Kaur Singh, Professor of Religious Studies, Colby College, USA “In this wonderful book Nicole Ranganath painstakingly weaves together the story of women, water and music to focus on how the diasporic Punjabi Sikh women came to make the Californian space their own. Whether traveling over worldly oceans or spiritual bhavsāgars, traversing Punjab’s daryās or California’s rivers, Ranganath asks how did these women who mostly migrated after the Luce-Cellar Act of 1946, come to find their cultural moorings, voices and subjectivities even as they faced dystopic displacements. Delving into their humane resilience and natal creativity, Ranganath journeys with them through their manifold musical odysseys – devotional, revolutionary, folk, autobiographical – to show the power of music, poetry, song and friendship in making these Sikh women the embodiment of joy and empathy. Ranganath’s refreshing work underscores the importance of looking at the extraordinary achievements of ordinary, everyday lives – a must read for students of South Asia, Diaspora, and Punjab and Sikh Studies.” Anshu Malhotra, Professor & Kapany Chair for Sikh & Punjab Studies, University of California Santa Barbara, USA “Based on years of fieldwork with Sikh women in the Sacramento valley but also on wide ranging reading in Sikhi and diasporic history, Ranganath relates Sikh women's music and mobility to their enhanced creativity and self-expression. Importantly and hopefully, she proposes a transoceanic imaginary among Sikhs emphasizing global belonging and unity rather than disruption. This is a pioneering and thoroughly original contribution.” Karen Leonard, Professor Emeritus, University of California, Irvine, USA “Women and the Sikh Diaspora offers a unique insight into the “river of songs” that nourished the lives of the earliest Sikh women migrants to the United States. By reconstructing an aural and sonic history of these women and foregrounding their relationship to the ecology, Ranganath fills an important gap in the disciplines of history, diaspora studies, and ethnomusicology.” Radha Kapuria, Assistant Professor of South Asian History, Durham University, United Kingdom"