Sikhism is often the religion that teachers have the least confidence in teaching, despite being the fifth largest religion in the world, and being commonly regarded as one of the six main religions to be taught in schools. This book fills that gap in knowledge and expertise by exploring the beliefs and practices of Sikhism as a lived religion in the modern world. It engages with Sikh beliefs and practices, and provides students and teachers with the confidence to address misconceptions and recognise the importance of beliefs in the lives of believers, in a way that will enable readers to go forward with confidence.

Aspects of Sikhism explored include the concepts that form the central beliefs of Sikhism, and the expression of these beliefs in worship and daily life, and the ethics of Sikhs in the modern day. Each chapter includes authentic voices of believers today and provides opportunities for the reader to consider the concepts and how they can be respected and taught in the classroom.

With Understanding Sikhism, James Holt has provided a very valuable contribution to the development of both primary and secondary teachers’ knowledge and understanding of the Sikh tradition. He not only provides well researched and detailed substantive knowledge of the Sikh faith but also makes an important contribution to teachers’ orientative knowledge by providing a convincing argument of how best to understand Sikhism within the current narrative of Religions and Worldviews. * Geoff Teece, Lecturer in Education, University of Exeter, UK *
Well-articulated Sikh worldview presenting its evolution, ethics, philosophy, tradition, culture and contemporary issues. Insightful for teachers and students in the western world to learn about Sikhism as a lived religion. * Amardeep Singh, Filmmaker & Author, Singapore *
This valuable resource maps out Sikh history, politics, philosophy, ethics, rituals and its diasporic reality in the UK with all its diversity and challenges. Accessible and engaging, it will inform teachers and inspire them to reflect upon and get excited about teaching the relatively unknown religion of the 28 million Sikhs living vibrantly across the globe. * Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh, Crawford Family Professor & Chair of the Department of Religious Studies, Colby College, USA *

James D. Holt is Associate Professor of Religious Education at the University of Chester, UK.