FACTORS MOTIVATING SIKH CANADIAN YOUTH TO BECOME INVOLVED IN THE KHALISTAN MOVEMENT by Parminder Bhatthal A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Social Justice Education Ontario Institute for Studies in Education University of Toronto © Copyright by Parminder Bhatthal (2015) Factors Motivating Sikh Youth to Become Involved in the Khalistan Movement Doctor of Philosophy 2015 Parminder Bhatthal Department of Social Justice Education Ontario Institute for Studies in Education University of Toronto Abstract The purpose of the study was to catalogue and analyse factors that motivate Canadian Sikh youth in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) to become involved with the Khalistan movement. Two research questions were posed: (1) How does the Khalistan movement serve to order and manage intra-Sikh relationships, primarily those involving young people, in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario? (2) How does the Khalistan movement manage the Sikh identity vis-à-vis the non-Sikh realities of India and Canada? Using the theoretical frames of symbolic interactionism, functionalist homeostasis, and, to a lesser extent, postcolonial theory, applied through a case study method, three main conclusions were reached. The first finding of the study was that family influences solidified Khalistan-involved youth’s attitude of differentiation from other Canadians. Personal identity interpretations led Khalistan-involved Sikh youth to develop and reinforce a sense of differentiation from other Canadians. Khalistan thus provided an important pivot of differentiation for these participants. The second finding of the study was that participation in Khalistani movements was discovered to be a means for men to build a masculine Sikh identity in interaction with each other, women to build a general social identity based on interactions with each other, and men and women to interact with each other on the basis of collective socio-religious identity exploration and affirmation. Participation in Khalistani movements also came to be understood as a means of ii expression and differentiation for Sikhs that identified as Sikh only, or Sikh and Canadian, or Canadian only. The study presented a general sociological model for understanding the politicised actions of immigrant youth in Canada. iii Acknowledgements I would like to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to my supervisor Professor Paul Olson for his support, guidance and mentorship. I thank you for continued support during my Ph.D program and subsequent thesis research. Your guidance has been one of the reasons I have been able to complete my research and submit this thesis. Your support has been crucial for my success at OISE. I would also like to thank my committee members, Professor Peter Sawchuk and Professor Njoki Wane for serving on my committee, being available to offer support and feedback and sharing your wisdom with me and my research. I would especially like to thank my family, my wife Amandeep and my two young daughters Mia and Sya for your patience on all of those late nights that I was typing away in front of a computer or reading articles and books. You three have been my inspiration and the reason why I was so committed to completing my research and dissertation. Finally thank you to all of the research participants for allowing me to share your story. You were the reason this research first got stared, and I thank you for your assistance in ensuring it was completed. iv Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction to the Study ....................................................................................1 Background of the Study ...............................................................................................1 The Emergence of Khalistan in Historical Context ................................................ 6 Problem Statement .......................................................................................................12 Purpose of the Study ....................................................................................................15 Theoretical Frames for the Study .................................................................................18 Integration of Theoretical Perspectives ................................................................ 26 Methodology of Study ...............................................................................................277 Research Questions ....................................................................................................299 Brief Review of the Literature ...................................................................................299 Sikh Youth in Canada ......................................................................................... 311 Gaps in the Literature.......................................................................................... 322 Delimitations of the Study .........................................................................................322 Conclusion of Introductory Chapter ..........................................................................333 Chapter 2: Literature Review ...........................................................................................355 The Punjab .................................................................................................................355 The Punjab as a Fact-Like System ...................................................................... 366 The Punjab from Mahmud of Ghazni to the Mughal Invasion ........................... 388 The 10 Gurus: Sikhism Establishes a Claim to the Punjab ................................. 455 Backdrop to Khalistan: The Era of Sikh Empire in the Punjab .......................... 555 The Punjab Comes of Age, 1857 to the Present ................................................. 611 v Sikhism ......................................................................................................................655 The Core of Sikh Belief ...................................................................................... 655 Khalistan ....................................................................................................................733 Khalistan and the Sikh Diaspora ......................................................................... 744 Relevant Theoretical and Empirical Literature on Khalistan ....................................766 Sikh Youth in Canada ................................................................................................808 Theoretical Background and Some Empirical Studies ......................................... 80 Empirical Insights into Sikh Youth in Canada ................................................... 999 Khalistan in Canada .................................................................................................1099 Conclusion ...............................................................................................................1177 Chapter 3: Theoretical Framework and Approaches .....................................................1222 Overview ..................................................................................................................1222 Functional Homeostasis: An Overview ...................................................................1253 Symbolic Interactionism: An Overview ..................................................................1300 Functional Homeostasis in the Canadian Sikh Context ...........................................1355 Symbolic Interactionism in the Canadian Sikh Context ..........................................1433 Conclusion ...............................................................................................................1532 Chapter 4: Methodology ................................................................................................1555 Overview and Justification of Methodological Choices ..........................................1555 Overview and Justification of Qualitative Design ...................................................1609 Restatement of Research Questions .........................................................................1655 Specification of Case Study Model..........................................................................1688 vi Population, Setting, and Sample ............................................................................17569 Recruitment of Participants......................................................................................1788 Data Collection Procedures ......................................................................................1799 Data Analysis .........................................................................................................18080 Ethical Protections ...................................................................................................1822 Chapter 5: Findings ........................................................................................................1866 Descriptive Statistics of the Sample ........................................................................1877 Research Question One: Overview and Answer ......................................................1877 Research Question Two: Overview and Answer .....................................................2099 Chapter 6: Implications and Conclusions ......................................................................2122 Summary of Findings ...............................................................................................2122