Pritam Singh, professor emeritus at Oxford Brookes Business School, will speak on the interaction of Sikh teachings on egalitarianism and socialist and Marxist ideas since the late 19th century.
Tuesday, November 10, 2026
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Bunche Hall, Rm 6265
Marxism, Socialism and Sikhi:
Shared and Contested Histories and Perspectives
with
Pritam Singh
Professor Emeritus of Economics
Oxford Brookes Business School
Tuesday, November 10, 3:00–5:00 p.m.
Bunche Hall, Rm 6265
Discussant: Vinay Lal, Professor of History, UCLA
Abstract: The Sikh teachings on egalitarianism have overlapped with socialist and Marxist ideas among the Sikhs, starting with the formation of the first socialist groups among migrant Sikhs (Gadharites) in California in the late 19th and early 20th century. This tradition has continued, with serious tensions sometimes in the later history of communist and Sikh movements. The lecture will explore these shared and contested histories and perspectives.
Speaker biography: Pritam Singh is professor emeritus in economics at Oxford Brookes Business School in the UK. He is the author of "Federalism, Nationalism and Development: India and the Punjab Economy" (Routledge, 2008); "Economy, Culture and Human Rights: Turbulence in Punjab, India and Beyond" (Three Essays Collective, Delhi, 2010); "Hindu Bias in the Indian Constitution" (Critical Quest, Delhi, 2017); and "Institutional Communalism in India" (Critical Quest, Delhi, 2019). He is also co-editor, with S. Thandi, "Punjabi Identity in a Global Context" (OUP, 1999). His latest book, co-edited with Meena Dhanda, is "The Routledge Handbook of Punjab Studies" (2026).
Singh earned his MPhil from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and DPhil from the University of Oxford (Oriel College). He has held visiting positions at the University of Oxford (2018–20); University of Uberlandia, Brazil (2019); Lomonosov Moscow State University (2013), Russian Federation; and JNU (2009). In 2015, the World Association of Political Economy honored him with the Distinguished Achievement Award in Political Economy, and in 2021, the University of California Riverside bestowed on him a Lifetime Achievement Award for his distinguished contribution to Sikh and Punjab Studies.
Download file: Marxism_Socialism_Sikhi_flyer-download-5f-lxc.pdf
Sponsor(s): Center for India and South Asia, Department of History