The body politics of gender in Sikhi: shaping, shifting and pushing boundaries.

This paper explores the history of Sikh feminist thought and practice as envisioned by the founder of the Sikh faith, Guru Nanak. We contextualise the historical significance of the time Guru Nanak lived in and that of his profound feminist thought. By citing recent case studies and controversies including the 2015 preacher Hari Singh Randhawa Wale at Dukh Nivaran Gurdwara in British Columbia, Canada and the active prohibition for females gaining access to perform kirtan at Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar, we argue that Guru Ji's 'radical' feminist philosophies have not been understood or realised in practice to their fullest capacity within the Sikh faith. We connect this to an overall lack of opportunity for representation of women within the diasporic gurdwara spaces for faith maintenance and questioning. We include in this paper an overall argument for the need to push boundaries and interpretations by using Sikh feminist thought within Sikh vichaar and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]