© Columbia University Press
Religion and the Specter of the West: Sikhism, India, Postcoloniality, and the Politics of Translation
October, 2009
Cloth, 536 pages,
ISBN: 978-0-231-14724-8
$55.00
/ £38.00
"In Religion and the Specter of the West, Arvind Mandair discusses the central theme of 'religion' through the study of the specific tradition of Sikhism, raising a series of unsettling questions that touch upon a variety of different fields of inquiry. There is no doubt that this publication will be considered a substantial and most significant contribution not only to the field of Sikh studies but also to the more general area of the study of religions." — Cosimo Zene, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London
"What is most impressive about this book is the authority and passion with which Arvind Mandair writes about Sikhism. It demonstrates his ability to bring a sensibility and dexterity otherwise unparalleled in contemporary Sikh Studies. I have little doubt this book will make an important contribution not only to Sikh studies but also to the general study of religion. In terms of postcolonial theory, it is a long overdue contribution." — Pal Ahluwalia, University of South Australia
"It is rare indeed to come across a manuscript that combines such incisive analysis, breadth of range, and depth of specificity. Arvind Mandair provides a tour de force across many areas and disciplines. His book is at once a groundbreaking treatise on Sikh studies, a major intervention in postcolonial theory and the debates over theory and method in the study of religion, and an insightful excursion into the realm of contemporary political theory. If that were not enough, Mandair also engages in an extremely high-powered analysis of some of the most important giants of European intellectual thought. His book is an example of interdisciplinary philosophizing at its very best." — Richard King, University of Glasgow, and author of Orientalism and Religion