The present volume represents a major contribution to the field of Sikh studies. It grew out of an international conference on Sikh studies hosted by the Program in Sikh Studies and the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures in September 2001 at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. The scholars explored issues of scriptural authority, social history, gender, diaspora, and national and religious identity from a perspective solidly grounded in rich historical sources. The conference in effect was able to examine some of the consequences of Sikhism's appearance in the light of history---for scholars of Sikhism, for scholars of religion, and for scholares of history. The volume was put together in honour of one of the leading specialist in Sikh studies of present times, Hew McLeod, and it has articles by some of the most well-known names, as well as the young rising stars in the field: Pashaura Singh, N Gerald Barrier, Louis E. Fenech, Tony Ballantyne, and Doris Jakobsh.