Reflecting on a SAFAR
This post is a bit late, but every bit still important. Last week, the first “Sikh Feminist conference” – SAFAR – was held at the University of Toronto. The conference brought together academics, activists, and community members to reflect on the meanings and experiences of gender in a Sikh context. Opening with a keynote address by Nikky Guninder Kaur Singh, esteemed Professor at Colby College, the conference featured over 30 presentations. From the Param Marg Granth to questions of translation; from the Rahit Maryada to questions of film; from a historic opening for queer identities to questions on sex-selective abortion; from a discussion of women’s perceptions of body hair to even the questioning of questions, the conference can only be described as timely, pressing, and historic.
Some left in awe; some left troubled; some left challenged; some left with catharsis. All left inspired. To continue the momentum from the conference, the hosts of the conference, the Sikh Feminist Research Institute, is planning to convene a peer-reviewed online journal to publish quality articles related to gender.
Pictures from the conference can do far more justice than any thing I will write here. If you attended, share your thoughts and reflections. If you didn’t attend, you missed out!
We, here, at The Langar Hall will keep you informed about future developments.
11 Responses to “Reflecting on a SAFAR”
'Nikki'…'Guninder'….'Kaur'….'Singh' ? I suggest Nikki spend less time in academia dreamworld and more time sorting out a proper name identity. No offence but when a woman can't quite make up her mind whether she's a fella or a girl she's hardly the right person to lecture about Sikh feminism. No offence but when a woman wants to be known by a christian name she's hardly the right person to be lecturing Sikh women about Sikhi.
Also…..what kind of sikh would want to…on their profile….proudly put up a picture of their family with the man who was the President of India at the time the Golden Temple was attacked ? ….i.e the man who was privy to and part of the attack on the Sikhs of Punjab ?
Also……given all the war paint she's got plastered all over her face in her pictures……As a feminist, why is she trying so hard to conform to the male's ideals in a woman ?
Basically,its just an opportunity for a bunch of pseudo-intellectuals with letters after their names to sit with like minded people and talk a pile a crap…..instead of doing some real work. Nice job if you can get it.
Blighty Singh –
1) Waste your time criticizing someone who is more deserving of criticism.
2) Get a life.
Blighty, I understand your reservations, but take a moment to read even a small bit of her work. Or better yet, try and figure out who the other man in that picture is. Your family has his books on the shelf.
ha ha, blighty, mate, haven't heard from your spleen in a while, what happened, you forgot to take your medicine this morning? nikki is a pretty common panjabi nickname, actually, more legitimate than, um…"blighty"(?) wtf is that mate?
your astute analysis of nikki ji's nom de plume about shows the level of intellectual engagement you're capable of, which is to say, leave the thinking to the people with brains.