Explore how colonial rule reshaped Sikh institutions—shifting Gurduara control to mahants and elites, enabling corruption and discrimination. Examine reform movements like the Singh Sabha and reflect on the growing call for accountable, Panthic stewardship.
This course offers a four week exploration of Sikh institutional life under colonial rule and the emergence, trajectory, and consequences of the Gurduara Reform Movement. Participants will examine the political aftermath of Jallianwala Bagh, landmark moments such as the Nankana Sahib Massacre, and major morchas that reshaped gurduara management. The course concludes by tracing how the movement’s institutional settlements continue to structure Sikh politics, and by engaging contemporary critiques and possibilities for reform.
Santbir Singh has served as an educator and activist in the Sikh community for over two decades. He continues to cultivate a deeper relationship with Sabad Guru while focusing on Sikh inspirations for social activism, feminism, and decolonization through a multifaceted critical analysis using different schools of thought and tradition.
Santbir Singh is a facilitator at Sidak and an alumnus of Sidak 2012. He lives on Wendat, Anishinabek, Haudenosaunee, Mississauga, Hiawatha, Alderville & Métis Territory on Williams Treaties land (colonially known as Toronto), Canada, with his wonderful wife, incredible children, and wild dog.
