Autoethnography: A Potential Method for Sikh Theory to Praxis Research

Abstract

The application of autoethnographic research as an investigative methodology in Sikh studies may appear relatively novel. Yet the systematic analysis in autoethnography of a person’s experience through reflexivity and connecting the personal story to the social, cultural, and political life has synergy with the Sikh sense-making process. Deliberation (vichhar) of an individual’s experience through the embodied wisdom of the Gurū (gurmat) connecting the lived experience to a greater knowing and awareness of the self is an established practice in Sikhi. This article explores autoethnography as a potential research method to give an academic voice to and capture the depth of the lived experiences of Sikhs: first, by articulating the main spaces of synergy of autoethnography with gurmat vichhar; second, discussing common themes such as inclusivity of disregarded voices, accessibility to knowledge creation, relational responsibility, and integrity in storytelling common to both autoethnography and gurmat vichhar. In conclusion, the autoethnographic approach has the means to illuminate nuances in understanding Sikhi that is transformative and familiar to the ancestral process of how Sikhs have made sense of themselves and the world around them.

A Role for Lived Experience, Embodiment, and Rehat in Sikh Studies

“…While disciplinary conventions and orientations to the concept can and do differ, when it comes to studies of colonialism, imperialism, patriarchy, or racism, lived experience becomes a critical intervention for reorienting theories of violence and justice. Lived experience offers a way to understand power from the perspective of those who have been historically and continuously disempowered (Behl, 2014;Collins, 2012;Haraway, 1988;Kaur Singh, 2017;Kaur-Bring, 2020;Pandey, 2022). Scholars have convincingly made this case in trying to show the importance of lived experience and standpoint (Mahmood, 1996), as it bridges the gap between the reality of social life and aspirational political claims.…”

Im/material and intimate relations: Considering ethnographic methodologies for already-surveilled communities

“…Inspired by the remembrance of historical embodiments of freedom, Gurbani (Sikh divine poetry) offers reminders that each body is equally capable of manifesting Oneness through discipline, action, and reflection. For the gurdwara specifically, autoethnography is particularly salient as it replicates Sikh “ancestral forms of sense-making” by centering a deliberation of embodied wisdom (practiced Gurmat) through imagined theoretical space and the grounded production of knowledge (Kaur-Bring, 2020: 11). Therefore, in already-surveilled community spaces, embodiment is a key mechanism to both study socially- and politically-generated limitations placed upon the body and practices of the body that aspire beyond such limitations.…”

Exploring Sikh Traditions and Heritage

“…The sixth article on "Autoethnography: A Potential Method for Sikh Theory and Praxis Research" by Narinder Kaur-Bring (2020) makes the case for a new method of doing research in the field of Sikh studies. She argues that the systematic analysis in autoethnography of a person's experience through reflexivity and connecting the personal story to the social, cultural, and political life has synergy with the Sikh sense-making process.…”