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 bhalā” contribute 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, economics, sociology, anthropology, political theory, and beyond — producing research that recovers what the sources actually say, not what we assume or wish they said.
What We Support
Rigorous academic research that advances understanding of Sikhs, Sikhi, and Panjab — across disciplines, geographies, and centuries.
Textual and historical scholarship
Critical editions, manuscript studies, and archival research — recovering what the sources actually say in Panjabi, Persian, Brajbhasha, and Sanskrit
Philosophical and theological inquiry
Studies of Gurmat, Sikh ethics, and metaphysics — serious engagement with Sikh thought as a living intellectual tradition
Social science research
Sociology, anthropology, economics, and ethnographic work — understanding how Sikh communities function, from village Panjab to global diaspora
Contemporary challenges
Studies addressing agrarian transformation, public health, gender equity, institutional development, and diaspora belonging
Interdisciplinary work
Research that crosses boundaries — ecotheology, law and religion, political economy, and emerging fields that resist conventional categories
What We Produce
Beyond supporting scholars, we produce foundational work that shapes the field.
Critical editions of primary sources
Establishing authoritative texts through careful manuscript analysis. Our inaugural publication: The Ẓafarnāma of Guru Gobind Singh (Harvard Oriental Series, 2025), the first critical edition drawing on 38 manuscripts — recovering a masterwork of political philosophy misread for centuries.
Theoretical frameworks
New approaches that reframe how questions are asked — not just how Sikhs responded to history, but what resources Sikh thought offers for imagining alternatives.
Peer-reviewed scholarship
Original research that sets the standard for rigor and demonstrates what serious Sikh Studies can achieve.
Educational resources
Materials for classrooms at every level — from Harvard seminars to HarvardX courses reaching 180 countries, from university syllabi to Khalsa school curricula grounded in scholarship.
Research infrastructure
Digital archives, manuscript databases, and collaborative platforms — building tools for the next generation of scholars.
From Scholarship to Impact
Scholarship that remains in the academy serves only scholars. Our work reaches the communities that need it.
University teaching
Courses training the next generation in religious studies, history, political theory, and South Asian studies
Public education
54,000+ learners in 180 countries through HarvardX — rigorous scholarship for anyone with curiosity
Khalsa school curriculum
Age-appropriate materials grounded in what the sources actually say, not simplified mythology
Community institutions
Research that gurdwaras, advocacy organizations, and service providers can use
Why This Matters
The Sikh tradition preserved its constitutional vision through centuries of crisis — when territory was lost, when leaders were martyred, when institutions collapsed. The principles survived because communities kept studying, copying, debating, and transmitting them. When the moment came to rebuild, the blueprint was ready.
That history matters now. How do communities maintain coherence through disruption? What does sovereignty look like when grounded in service? How do we honor what we’ve inherited while subjecting it to honest inquiry?
These questions are urgent — for a Panth navigating its future across five continents, and for anyone seeking alternatives to frameworks that no longer inspire confidence.
We train scholars who can work in archives and in communities, who understand classical texts and contemporary challenges, who produce research the Panth — and the world — can build upon.
Related Fellowships
For students entering the field from any discipline
For established scholars advancing any area of Sikh Studies
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Join us in building the intellectual foundations for the Panth's global engagement.
