Sikhi(sm), Literature and Film

Fall 2012, October 19-21, 2012

Hofstra University
Sponsored by the Sardarni Kuljit Kaur Bindra Chair in Sikh Studies

Conference Highlights:
Dr. Nikhil Pal Singh (New York University)
THE REMAINDERS OF WHITE SUPREMACY: REFLECTIONS ON OAK CREEK

SAFINA UBEROI (Award-winning Indian-Australian filmmaker)
GURDWARA (PORTAL OF THE GURU): A DOOR TO DOCUMENTARY TRUTH

Screening of ROOTS OF LOVE by Dr. Harjant Singh Gill (Towson University)

Read now: Dr. Balbinder Singh Bhogal, OAK CREEK KILLINGS: THE DENIAL OF A CULTURE OF OPPRESSION

Sikhi(sm), Literature and Film
Hofstra University and the Sardarni Kuljit Kaur Bindra Chair in Sikh Studies are excited to announce a conference on the literary and visual cultures within, or pertaining to, Sikh traditions both in Panjabi and Diasporic contexts. The conference is designed to be explorative and is therefore open to any and all submissions within these two fields. This conference aims to chart new territory by exploring the aesthetic and expressive traditions within Sikh(ism).

Literary Cultures
Proposals are welcomed within the area of literature broadly defined, including: romance (kissaa), ballad (of war/strife, vaar), lyric (revelation), hagiography and biography (Janamsaakhiis), didactic and devotional (revelation, commentarial), revival and reform (political, nationalist, moral/didactic tracts), fiction and short story, poetry and new poetry, prose, drama and play.

Visual Cultures
Proposals are welcomed within the area of film or visual culture broadly defined including: Cinema/Film (Bollywood, Hollywood, Lollywood and Independent productions, Internet websites, YouTube, Vimeo, Music video-Rap, Bhangra), TV (terrestrial and satellite stations), Comic (Amar Chitra Katha, Sikhtoons), Fine Arts (miniature paintings, court paintings, modern art, photography, contemporary art), Commerical Art (calendar art, lithographs), Fashion and Advertising (e.g. Sonny Caberwal ,Vikram Chatwal, Waris Ahluwalia), Museum Exhibitions (V&A, Rubin Museum, Smithsonian etc), Architecture (monumental, temple and residential)

Aims:

This conference aims to explore the most recent scholarship in the areas of literature and film as they pertain to the field of Sikh Studies. The gathering together of scholars and filmmakers from across the globe and academic disciplines aids the drive to make Sikh studies an interdisciplinary and growing field. With the explosion of new media, led by the internet, this conference brings intellectual and critical reflection upon the power of You Tube films and songs, as well as assess traditional literary genres found in manuscripts. It provides the opportunity to expand the network of Sikh Studies scholars and thus increase the possibility for future collaborative research projects.