The Sikh Diaspora

This study explores the dynamics of acculturation and the maintenance of cultural traditions in a compact Sikh immigrant community in upstate New York. The community studied, which consists of primarily middle and upper middle class families who immigrated seeking economic and educational opportunities, is representative of more recently established (i.e. post 1965) Sikh communities in the United States. The author investigates the degree to which traditional Sikh values and beliefs have been altered or reinforced as a result of residency in this urban/suburban environment and exposure to the dominant culture.The study traces the processes of acculturation and the reinforcement of cultural traditions, highlighting the effects of the social and cultural backgrounds of Sikh immigrants, considering gender, age, longevity of exposure to the host culture, urban-rural origins, religious practices, and formal education, on these processes. Cultural change occured in dating and marriage, family and kinship relations, gender roles, and the general communal and social relations. However, Sikh identity was maintained through the reinforcement of orthodoxy in religious traditions and observances, and through traditional dietary practices. Also inlcludes maps.(Ph.D. dissertation, New York University, 1993; revised with new preface)