CASTE AND VIEWS TOWARD MARRIAGE AMONG TWO SIKH GENERATIONS IN GREATER VANCOUVER, CANADA A Thesis Submitted to the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Arts In the Department of Sociology University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon By Dalbir Dolla Copyright Dalbir Dolla, August, 2018. All rights reserved. PERMISSION TO USE In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Postgraduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan, I agree that the Libraries of this University may make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for copying of this thesis in any manner, in whole or in part, for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor or professors who supervised my thesis work or, in their absence, by the Head of the Department or the Dean of the College in which my thesis work was done. It is understood that any copying or publication or use of this thesis or parts thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of Saskatchewan in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my thesis. Requests for permission to copy or to make other uses of materials in this thesis/dissertation in whole or part should be addressed to: Head of the Department of Sociology 1019-9 Campus Drive University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5A5 Canada OR Dean College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies University of Saskatchewan 116 Thorvaldson Building, 110 Science Place Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5C9 Canada i ABSTRACT My research explores the relevance of caste in marriage and how the importance one places on caste is influenced by intersections of age, gender and level of education. Focusing on the Sikh population in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, I examine how the Sikh religion influences perceptions of marriage in relation to the caste system. I ask about attitudes toward marriage among a sample of married and unmarried people. The Sikh religion was formed to promote a particular vision of equality and I contend that this foundation may have shifted due to the organizing cultural framework of the caste system in India at that time. Over the years the caste system became a part of Sikhism but it is a system that creates a divide amongst people. If caste is still of central importance to people’s marriage, my research lays the foundation for asking, Why and how does caste still matter in modern times and to the Sikhs, particularly those in the diaspora? In this study, 20 interviews were conducted of Canadian born Sikh children (aged 22-30) and Sikh immigrant parents (with children aged 22-30). Based on these interviews, three themes emerged: (1) The way that Sikhism is practiced and interpreted differs from the teachings of the religion (2) Caste is not always taught but is a concept that can be socially engrained and transmitted intergenerationally (3) Conversations of caste arise around discussions of partnering and marriage, but beliefs concerning the caste system vary from family to family. Given that there is a large Sikh immigrant population in Canada that has Canadian-born Sikh children, I intend for this study to contribute to knowledge development in the field and to shed light on the struggles or conflict that Canadian-born Sikh children may face as they contemplate marriage. Keywords: Sikh; caste; marriage; intergenerational; diaspora; couple formation ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to give a big thanks to my parents and my brother who have always supported me in everything I do. Thank you to my friends for encouraging me over the years and a special thanks to Asma for all her help. To Ketler, thanks for always being a good distraction and for believing in me. I would like to thank the U of S Sociology Department and the Graduate Studies Committee for understanding my career aspirations and having patience while I balanced work and my graduate studies. Thank you to Heidi Epstein for providing much needed feedback as my committee member. Lastly, and most importantly, I would like to thank my supervisor Sarah Knudson for sticking with me through this process and always being there to guide and support me; I couldn’t have done it without you! iii Dedicated to my mom and dad. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS page PERMISSION TO USE …...………………………….…………………………….……………..i ABSTRACT ……………………………….…………………………….…………….…………ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ………………………..…….………………………………………..iii DEDICATION …………….………………….…………………………….…………….……...iv TABLE OF CONTENTS …………………………….…………………………….……………..v Chapter One: Introduction ……………...………………….…………………………….……….1 Chapter Two: Literature Review ……………..………………….…………………………….…8 2.1 Caste …………………………………….…………………………….………………8 2.1.1 History of Caste …………………………………….………………………9 2.1.2 Caste bleed-through into Sikhism …………………………………….…...13 2.1.3 Difference between caste and class in Hinduism ………………………….14 2.1.4 Caste today …………………………………….…………………………..15 2.2 Sikhism and the principle of equality …………………………………….…………16 2.3 Caste and marriage …………………………………….…………………………….18 2.3.1 Common practices of arranged marriage according to caste ……………...18 2.3.2 Gender politics and arranged marriage ……………………………………19 2.4 Gender politics or equality in Sikhism? …………………………………….……….22 2.4.1 Wider patriarchal norms erase any potential for social equality implied within Sikhism’s egalitarian spiritual ideals ……………………..23 2.5 Diasporic complexities …………………………………….………………………...24 Chapter Three: Research Methods and Samples ……………………………….……………….26 3.1 Research methods …………………………………….……………………………..26 3.1.1 Generation …………………………………….…………………………...28 3.1.2 Gender …………………………………….…………………………….…28 3.1.3 Level of education …………………………………….…………………...29 3.1.4 Perspective on caste system: The dependent variable …………………….30 3.2 Participants and recruitment …………………………………….…………………..31 v 3.3 Research instrument …………………………………….…………………………...34 3.4 Data analysis …………………………………….…………………………….…….35 3.5 Limitations of the research methods …………………………………….…………..38 Chapter Four: Similarities and Differences between the Teachings of Sikhism and its Practice .40 4.1 No caste in Sikhism …………………………………….…………………………...42 4.2 Preach vs. Practice …………………………………….…………………………….45 4.3 Older generation: Caste, teachings and practice …………………………………….49 4.4 Younger generation …………………………………….……………………………52 4.5 Conclusion …………………………………….…………………………….………55 Chapter Five: Significance of Caste in Relation to Marriage and Honor …………...…………..57 5.1 Caste and marriage in the older generation …………………………………….……58 5.2 Caste and marriage in the younger generation ………………………………………61 5.3 Education …………………………………….…………………………….………..68 5.4 Gender …………………………………….…………………………….…………...70 5.5 Conclusion …………………………………….…………………………….………73 Chapter Six: Caste and its Interaction with Immigration, Globalization and Mass Media ……..74 6.1 Caste in the diaspora …………………………………….…………………………..75 6.2 Experiences with caste …………………………………….………………………...78 6.3 Media and caste …………………………………….…………………………….….80 6.4 Caste and class/privilege …………………………………….………………………86 6.5 Understanding caste today …………………………………….…………………….88 6.6 Conclusion …………………………………….…………………………….………89 Chapter Seven: Discussion ……………………………….…………………………….……….91 7.1 Finding one: Preaching vs. Practice …………………………………….…………...92 7.2 Finding two: Parents’ expectations …………………………………….……………93 7.3 Finding three: Influence of pop culture …………………………………….……….96 7.4 Gender …………………………………….…………………………….…………...96 7.5 Immigration …………………………………….…………………………….……...97 7.6 Level of education …………………………………….……………………………..99 7.7 Limitations …………………………………….…………………………….……..100 7.8 Further areas of research …………………………………….……………………..102 vi Chapter Eight: Conclusion …………………………………….…….………………….……...104 References …………………………………….…………………………….………………….110 Appendix A: List of Participants …………………………………….………………………...115 Appendix B: Interview Questions …………………………………….………………………..116 vii Chapter One: Introduction Marriage is a milestone in an individual’s life; it is a union between two people and their families. Practices around marriage are important for the retention and transformation of cultural practices in migrant identities within the diaspora (Samuel, 2013, p. 91). Migrant’s attitudes towards marriage are related to their experience of moving to Canada and adapting to the Canadian society and culture (Samuel, 2013, p. 103). In society, social norms are a guide to how a member should behave but these social norms can clash and give rise to tensions when the members are trapped between two different cultures. My thesis aims to explore the relevance of caste in diasporan Sikh marriage today, and how one’s generation, gender and level of education influence the importance one places on caste in the context of marriage. The two generations that I consider are first-generation immigrant parents and their second-generation Canadian-born children. My research is specific to Sikhs because it aims to understand what kind of impact the Sikh religion has on perceptions and practices of marriage and the caste system. I am focusing on both because I believe views and opinions of marriage in relation to the caste system will affect who will be considered a suitable potential marriage partner for the younger Canadian- born generation (Dhar, 2013, p. 2). I conduct my research within a particular geographical location: the Lower Mainland in British Columbia. I chose this location because