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Abstract:
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This dissertation examines the Sikh diaspora's role in the effort to carve a separate Sikh state - -Khalistan - -out of territory that presently constitutes the Indian Punjab . While many scholars note the involvement of overseas Sikhs in the Khalistan movement , the campaign for Sikh sovereignty has not been universally endorsed and a broad continuum of opinion exists within the diaspora regarding self -determination . Moreover , there have been various disputes regarding ideology and strategy even between pro -Khalistan factions that share the common goal of secession . Internecine conflict within the pro -Khalistan bloc has thus served to undermine its legitimacy within the larger diasporan Sikh community and in the international political arena .
This raises the following inter -related questions that form the focus of this study : Why is the Khalistan coalition so weak , given its constituent members' consensus on the ultimate goal of secession ? Why do pro -Khalistan groups that possess a common adversary (the Indian state ) choose competition over cooperation given that the latter would be more expedient in realizing their political objectives ?
In addressing this , I draw upon the literature on exile politics and formulate a social movement type that I classify as a Separatist Diasporan Movement (SDM ) . I define an SDM as a coalition of political organizations comprising coethnics of migrant origin that : (1 ) sustains a strong attachment to their homeland , (2 ) maintains numerous networks among coethnics in other countries , and (3 ) seeks to create a separate homeland out of territory that forms part of an existing state because of real or imagined feelings of persecution . I further argue that because they lack institutionalized legitimacy and the instruments of state power , SDMs are intrinsically unstable entities whose authority is contested and re -contested from both within and without .
In supporting my argument , I examine the rhetoric and political tactics employed by Khalistani groups in Great Britain , Canada , and the United States . Data was obtained through fieldwork in the three countries , a variety of primary sources , and pro -Khalistan websites . My findings indicate that the schisms that emerged within the Khalistan SDM result from this absence of a unanimously -recognized authority and the persistence of conflicting pre -coalition identities . |