Contents: Preface. I. Contexts for giving: 1. Introduction: 'NRIs are the new VIPs'/Verne A. Dusenbery and Darshan S. Tatla. 2. Sikh Diaspora philanthropy in Punjab: origins, growth, and contemporary trends/Darshan S. Tatla. 3. Through wisdom, dispense charity: religious and cultural underpinnings of Diasporan Sikh Philanthropy in Punjab/Verne A. Dusenbery. II. From the Punjab ground: 4. NRI investment in social development projects: findings from two sample Surveys in Doaba, Punjab/Satnam Chana. 5. The use of Foreign remittances by Central Punjab farm families/Inderpreet Kaur Kullar and M.S. Toor. 6. Empowering Shankar: a study of diaspora-sponsored projects in a Doaba Village/Charanjit Kaur Maan and Gurmej Singh Maan. III. A transnational lens: 7. The Sikhs of British Columbia and their philanthropy in Punjab/Hugh Johnston. 8. Diaspora philanthropy in Punjab's health sector: a transnational perspective/Margaret Walton-Roberts. 9. Gender, Seva, and social institutions: a case study of the Bebe Nanaki Gurdwara and Charitable Trust, Birmingham, UK/Navtej K. Purewal. IV. Lessons learned: 10. Diaspora intervention in rural development: Boon or bane?/Autar S. Dhesi. 11. Sikh Diaspora philanthropy: directions, incentives, and impact on Punjab/Darshan S. Tatla. 12. Conclusions: whither Diaspora philanthropy?/Verne A. Dusenbery. Appendices: 1. International Conference on Sikh Diaspora and its recommendations. 2. GO/NGO materials--B1: 'Matching Assistance for development Projects' (GoP); B2: 'Investment by NRIs in development Projects' (NRI Sabha Punjab). Glossary.
"Diaspora philanthropy--private giving for public good, undertaken by those living away from their ancestral homeland--is an increasingly important social and economic phenomenon in our globalizing world. For over a century, Sikh emigrants have been remitting funds to Punjab for purposes ranging from advancement of family to support of political, religious and humanitarian causes. This is the first book to assess the overall scale of overseas Sikhs' philanthropic involvement in Punjab, the varying motivations of Sikh Diaspora philanthropists, and the differential effects of their philanthropic projects on society.
Chronicling the evolution and changing nature of Sikh Diaspora philanthropy, this book highlights its religious and cultural underpinnings. It reviews the different kinds of social investment projects undertaken in different regions of Punjab and examines their role in community development. The essays also highlight the transnational connections and influences created through philanthropic projects.
The final section analyses the overall impact of Sikh Diaspora philanthropy in generating social capital and mediating tensions between formal and informal local institutions in the villages and in addressing needs unmet by the government, market, or other civil society organizations.
Bringing together anthropologists, economists, historians, geographers, and sociologists, this volume connects to wider scholarly and policy conversations about Diaspora philanthropy; In the context of socio-economic changes wrought by globalization, it raises certain fundamental questions: is Diaspora philanthropy a heroic or selfless intervention or is it a neo-colonial endeavour imposing an outside development agenda?
This book will interest scholars and students of Sikh studies, sociology, history, economics, social anthropology, and Diaspora studies and will also find wide readership among policymakers and philanthropists." (jacket)
