Oberlin Digital Commons at Oberlin Honors Papers Student Work 2020 1984 and Film: Trauma and the Evolution of the Punjabi Sikh Identity Hayley Dawn Segall Oberlin College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.oberlin.edu/honors Part of the Religion Commons Repository Citation Segall, Hayley Dawn, "1984 and Film: Trauma and the Evolution of the Punjabi Sikh Identity" (2020). Honors Papers. 708. https://digitalcommons.oberlin.edu/honors/708 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Work at Digital Commons at Oberlin. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Papers by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons at Oberlin. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Segall 1 1984 and Film: Trauma and the Evolution of the Punjabi Sikh Identity Hayley Segall Capstone Essay Dr. Emilia Bachrach Department of Religion, Oberlin College April 12, 2020 Abstract: This capstone analyzes Punjabi Sikh identity to expand scholarly discourse on trauma and identity formation. After providing background on Sikh roots in Punjab, this piece relates Sikh trauma from 1984 to a contemporary collective identity. In June 1984, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi launched Operation Bluestar; troops stormed the sacred Golden Temple to capture a perceived militant, Jarnail Bhindranwale. Because hundreds of civilians died in the crossfire, Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards. In retaliation, Hindu nationalists slaughtered thousands of Sikhs in the Delhi Riots. The effects of violence against Sikhs in Operation Bluestar and the Delhi riots reflect both a continued marginalization of the Punjabi Sikh community and a unique emergent collective identity.