Reginald Jeffery’s The History of the Thirteen Colonies of North America looks at the colonial era in North America; focusing on French; English and Spanish efforts to maintain and expand their power bases in the new continent.
#3955723 in Books 2015-02-26 2015-02-26Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.85 x .44 x 6.08l; .0 #File Name: 1498510868148 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Highly recommend this book.By R. SabirI highly recommend this book. It is gripping; persuasive; and concise yet informed and detailed. At its core; the book is about how the Sikh community in the UK has formed its identity through a (historically situated) discourse that is based on constructing Muslims as an 'enemy'. Using the example of "forced conversions" (i.e.; Muslim men allegedly manipulating and deceiving Sikh women in order to convert them to Islam); Sian shows how this narrative is nothing more than a myth or “fantasyâ€; which has no real evidential basis; and one that has given rise to a distinct form of Islamophobia. It draws upon and mirrors an orientalist discourse that views Muslims as innately hostile; barbaric and threatening; Sian argues. What I found particularly interesting was Sian’s discussions around how this narrative was being used by Sikh men to renegotiate the shift in gender-relations and re-occupy a dominant position. The “forced conversion†narrative; Sian writes; is used by Sikh men to "restore a patriarchal balance" and take control of Sikh female bodies.Though some perceive this book to be "anti-Sikh" and "pro-Muslim" (as some reviewers on this website have claimed; wrongly in my view) this could not be further from the truth. Firstly; the author specifically says that the book is about understanding Sikh representations of Sikh-Muslim conflict and how Sikh identity is formed. It is not a book about how Muslim identity is formed or how Muslims represent/view Sikhs. Talking about the "Muslim-side" is not therefore relevant for this project since the book is about Sikhs. Secondly; Sian dedicates an entire chapter (Chapter 9 – “Who is a Sikhâ€) to discussing the way in which the Sikh community can (re)shape its identity without constructing Islam/Muslims as an existential threat. Using a de-colonial framework; Sian argues that the Sikh community could redefine itself; for example; as a nation without a nation-state in the same way as the Palestinians and/or Kashmiris. Sikh identity would therefore be framed around statelessness; not antagonism and negativity towards Muslims. The key point here is that Sian is saying identity is constantly developing and is flexible; which means identity can be reformulated in a way that empowers and liberates Sikhs. Sikhs; Sian says; have fought successful campaigns around the turban; the "kara" (religious bangle) and the "kirpan" (dagger); and these successes show how the community has the determination and ability to fight for political recognition and to will to live their lives outside of the secular and "western" gaze. The only challenge the Sikh community faces; she argues; is that this political will/determination has not (yet) become dominant or "hegemonic".This book is critical of the ways in which Sikh identity has formed and evolved until date; but it provides an excellent framework that enables the Sikh community in the UK to free itself from and orientalist/"Western" gaze. Is this an academic book? No. Is it a blueprint calling for Sikh recognition and liberation? Yes; and that is why I highly recommend it.
