Robber Noblemen

A study of the political system of the Sikh Jats

Joyce Pettigrew

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2023
• Print ISBN: 9781032459615
• eBook ISBN: 9781000858518
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Anthropology
• Index: Social Sciences

First published in 1975, Robber Noblemen represents a break with traditional anthropological studies within the Indian subcontinent in the breadth of its coverage. A whole state, the Punjab, is discussed, with special reference to the social and political organization of its landowning Sikhs: the Jats. Joyce Pettigrew demonstrates that although the Punjab is included within the formal political framework of the Indian Union, it is nevertheless more closely allied to countries on its western border, by virtual of its social structure and value system. The caste system does not exist among the Sikhs. Values sustaining patterns of social and political action are not those pertaining to ritual purity and pollution but are those concerned with the extended family unit: honour, reputation, insult. The author shows how long-standing collaborative relationships between families compete with other similarly formed alliances or 'factions' for power and influence. This book will be of interest to students of anthropology, history, political science and South Asian studies.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Original Title Page
• Original Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Maps
• Foreword by Professor Max Gluckman
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Glossary of Punjabi terms
• Abbreviations
• Part one The environment
• Part two Sikh Jats
• Part three Factionalism
• Part four Appendices