The “Master and Disciple” System in Punjab

Gibb Schreffler focuses on the dhol and its significance in Punjabi culture and questions whether the dholi community and its identity will survive?

Gibb Schreffler

Gibb Schreffler is Assistant Professor of Music at Pomona College (USA). His work engages both contemporary-ethnographic and historical-textual approaches to the study of culture, in subject areas including vernacular music and dance of South Asia’s Punjab region and the work-songs of 19th century American sailors. His forthcoming book, Dhol: Drummers, Identities, and Modern Punjab (University of Illinois Press), brings together two decades’ work following the lives of traditional Punjabi drummers across changing social landscapes.

Among the drummers (dholis) of Punjab, there is a tradition of committing oneself to a master, ustad, to ensure the standards. In recent years, Punjabi drummers have been pursuing new means of economic insurance, which contradict the authority of ustads. Gibb Schreffler will discuss how modern pressures challenge the formal relationship between ustad and student and asks whether the dholi community and its identity will survive?

Buy 'Dhol: Drummers, Identities, and Modern Punjab' here >>

Mallika Kaur

Mallika Kaur will talk about her recent book that tells the unusual sides to Punjab's conflict story.

Haroon Khalid

Haroon Khalid is an anthropologist and author of four books. Walking with Nanak is his highly rated third book and is a result of a lifetime’s fascination with the life of Guru Nanak. In the words of The Hindustan Times : “Khalid manages to bring the founder of Sikhism to life, manages to walk with him, and manages to take readers along.”

Prof Nikki Guninder Kaur Singh

Prof Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh drawing upon her work on the Guru Granth Sahib will discuss how the female was exalted by the Gurus to ensure equality.

Kim Wagner

This talk explores the little-known history of the ‘Kooka’ Massacre.

See All Events

UKPHA VIRTUAL BOOK CLUB