“There is One God”: Teaching Sikhism and Syncretism

During the early modern period, many major religious developments reflected the increased interconnectedness of the period. Whether it was religious conflict linked to expanding states, such as the tensions between Sunnis and Shi’as related to the Ottoman and Safavid rivalry, or the spread of Islam among states in Southeast Asia, such as the Aceh Sultanate. It can be tricky to teach these developments within their proper historical context, especially when it comes to a religious tradition many of our students had never heard of: Sikhism