“To be a Punjabi male means that you can drink a lot, it’s a sign of your masculinity. It’s perpetuated through Punjabi music, through the upper caste Jat identity… This idea that this infallible text is telling me I can’t drink alcohol - that’s not a concept that’s easily graspable. It becomes an unhelpful conversation to say that Sikhi says no to alcohol, because there are all these other facets playing a role. ”
What role does religion play in cultural attitudes and practices towards drinking alcohol? Is it possible to look at one element without accounting for the other? And how does gender inform how religious and cultural identities are understood or enforced?
My guest this week is Manvinder Gill, a researcher interested in the intersections of alcohol and Sikhi. She recently finished her MA in religious studies at McMaster University. Her thesis interrogated the ways colonialism and intergenerational trauma influence problems with alcohol in the Sikh-Canadian community. Outside of the academy, Manvinder is the co-lead at Asra: The Punjabi Alcohol Resource (asranow.ca), a grassroots organization that serves as a starting point for Punjabi families who struggle with alcohol use. Currently, Manvinder is pursuing her Master of Social Work at the University of Toronto.
She's on the show today to explore the results of this research, highlighting the complexities of alcohol consumption and problems with alcohol for Sikh-Canadian communities, the role that masculinity plays in this relationship, and how the colonial binaries of good/bad can be re-imagined for better harm reduction approaches.
Learn more about Manvinder!
Instagram: @womanvinder
Twitter: @womanvinder
Website: asranow.ca