Sikh Intellectual Traditions

The Sikh tradition produced one of history’s most remarkable experiments in building political community — sovereignty grounded in collective welfare, constitutional principles preserved through scripture and collective practice, a vision of legitimate authority that challenged both Mughal imperialism and modern nationalism.

This inheritance isn’t just historical. At a moment when secular liberalism and religious nationalism both appear exhausted, Sikh thought offers resources for reimagining how communities might govern themselves. What happens when sovereignty is understood as obligation rather than domination? What can the principle of sarbatt dā bhalācontribute to contemporary debates about justice, ecology, and economic life? How do we recover what the tradition actually produced — before we decide what to do with it?

These questions require serious scholarship. Harvard Sikh Center supports rigorous inquiry across disciplines — history, philosophy, theology, sociology, anthropology, political theory, and beyond — producing research that recovers what the sources actually say, not what we assume or wish they said.