January 2004

Dr. Gurinder Singh Mann

Dr. Gurinder Singh Mann is currently the Kundan Kaur Kapany Professor of Sikh Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Dr. Mann began his education in 1965 with an M.A. in English from Union Christian College in Batala, Punjab. Then in 1975 he earned his second M.A in English from the University of Kent at Canterbury, England which was followed by Masters in Theological Studies from Harvard University. Finally he received his PhD in religion from Columbia University. The title of his dissertation was "The Making of Sikh Scripture” in which he received a distinction.

After completing his PhD, Dr. Mann started his employment in 1988 as an instructor in religious studies at Columbia University. In 1992 he was promoted as an Assistant Professor and in 1997 as an Associate Professor. Later in 1999, Dr. Mann joined the University of California, Santa Barbara, Religious Studies department as the Kundan Kaur Kapany Professor of Sikh Studies.

Dr. Mann’s research and teaching interests range from the formation of Sikh canon, religion and society in the Punjab, to the Sikh community in the United States of America. His publications include:

·        Sikhism (Prentice Hall, 2003)

·        The Making of Sikh Scripture (Oxford University Press, 2001)

·        The Goindval Pothis (Harvard Oriental Series, 1996)

 He has also collaborated in:

·        Buddhists, Hindus and Sikhs of America (Oxford University Press, 2001)

·        Studying the Sikhs: Issues for North America (SUNY Press, 1993).

Dr. Mann has also written numerous articles and chapters in books authored by other scholars. In addition, he is the sole contributor of entries on Sikhism in the Encyclopedia Britannica. Over the years, Dr. Mann has worked toward building the area of Sikh and Punjab studies in North America. He has lectured at many university and public forums, organized eleven conferences at Columbia and UC Santa Barbara, and has represented Sikhism in projects such as Religious Landscape of America directed by Diana Eck at Harvard University, and A Nation of Religions directed by Peter Berger at Boston University.

He has held workshops on the teaching of Punjabi in Singapore and is associated with the development of Punjabi language program at Simon Fraser University, Canada. Mann is the founding director of the Summer Program in Punjab Studies in Chandigarh.

Currently Dr. Mann is involved in building a Center for Sikh and Punjab Studies at UC Santa Barbara, which he hopes would attract scholars interested in this area of study from all over the world.

Click here to view the courses offered by Dr. Mann at U.C. Santa Barbara