Sikh Studies

The Sardarni Kuljit Kaur Bindra Chair in Sikh Studies

The Sardarni Kuljit Kaur Bindra Chair in Sikh Studies is endowed by Ishar Singh Bindra and his family in honor of Mr. Bindra's wife and family matriarch, Sardarni Kuljit Kaur Bindra. The chair was established to promote the academic study of Sikh religion, culture, and history. The endowment supports the appointment of a faculty member in Sikh Studies, helps build the University Library's holdings in Sikhism, provides scholarship assistance to students interested in Sikh religion and culture, and funds conferences and lectures directed toward the academic community as well as the general public.

Because of this chair, Hofstra University has become known internationally as a center for the study of Sikh religion and culture. The Bindra family also established the Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize at Hofstra, an international award that recognizes significant efforts to promote interfaith harmony. The inaugural Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize was awarded to His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, in 2008.

Hofstra University is also home to the Sardarni Harbans Kaur Chair in Sikh Musicology, the first of its kind at a Western university. It was instituted at Hofstra University in 2011 by Dr. Hakam Singh, with the aim of promoting Sikh culture through one of its most relevant aspects: music.

Programs

The Religion Major or Minor With a Concentration in Sikh Studies

At Hofstra, majoring or minoring in Religion is very flexible. You can tailor your study to focus on a vocational area or a particular tradition, or you can choose courses that expose you to a diversity of religious traditions.

If you choose to major or minor in Religion with an emphasis in Sikh Studies, you will find that other courses in the department and across the University complement these offerings. Please consult Dr. Balbinder Singh Bhogal, Sardarni Kuljit Kaur Bindra Chair in Sikh Studies, for more information.

Courses taught by Professor Bhogal:

RELI 015 – (CC) Introduction to Eastern Religious Traditions
RELI 016 – (CC, HP) Religions of India
RELI 019 – (CC) Introduction to Buddhism
RELI 036 – (CC, HP) Modern Gurus: Yoga and Selling Spirituality
RELI 040 – (CC, HP) Yoga, Psychology & Health
RELI 075 – (CC) Mysticism and the Spiritual Quest
RELI 103 – (CC) Warrior Saints: An Introduction to the Sikh Religion
RELI 104 – (CC, HP) Buddhist Thought
RELI 130 – (HP) Thinking Mysticism: Sex and Power
RELI 157 – (CC) Sikh Mysticism
RELI 160 – (HP) Religion, Secularism and Conflict Resolution

Students may also be interested in Hofstra's offerings in Sikh musicology
MUS 017 - (AA, CC) Introduction to the Sikh Musical Tradition

Meet the Chair

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Balbinder Singh Bhogal, PhD, joined the Hofstra faculty in 2007 and was formally installed as the Sardarni Kuljit Kaur Bindra Chair in Sikh Studies in 2008.

Dr. Bhogal was previously associate professor in South Asian religions and cultures, Division of Humanities, Faculty of Arts at York University in Toronto. He received a PhD from London University, School of Oriental and African Studies, 2001, and a BA (hons) from Lancaster University. He has served as a professor in departments of religion, philosophy, and humanities at universities in England, the United States and Canada. Dr. Bhogal's interests include South Asian religions and cultures, specializing in Sikh studies, particularly the philosophy and critical interpretation of the Guru Granth Sahib; the relationship and interaction between Indian philosophy and Western/Continental philosophy; and the study of mysticism, orientalist and decolonial discourses. His publications can be downloaded from his academia.edu site here.

More about the chair