Sikh and Sikh Studies Approaches to the Waning of Liberal Democracy

This session explores the waning of liberal democracy and the growth of autocracy and illiberalism from a Sikh and Sikh Studies perspective. How do Sikh/Sikh Studies scholars, researchers, and teachers who work in university/academic contexts approach what has been framed as an exceptional crisis in liberal democracy (in either or both the US/India)? How do we analyze the crisis in liberal democracy and governance from our respective disciplines, while simultaneously dealing with ethical considerations in our approaches that center the effects of violence on Sikh/diasporic communities? And what are the roles and responsibilities of Sikh academics who must increasingly engage with the public sphere as public intellectuals in the face of attacks on academic/intellectual freedom? What possible futures of freedom are we mapping for our communities, students, and the broader public?