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 upon society.

Divided into four sections, this book chronicles the evolution and changing nature of Sikh diaspora philanthropy and 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.

In the final section, the volume 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?

Contributors
Verne A. Dusenbery • Darshan S. Tatla • Satnam Chana • Inderpreet Kaur Kullar • M.S. Toor • Charanjit Kaur Maan • Gurmej Singh Maan • Hugh Johnston • Margaret Walton-Roberts • Navtej K. Purewal • Autar S. Dhesi

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.