Santbir Singh

Research Associate

Santbir Singh is a Research Associate with SikhRI. He is currently doing his Ph.D. in Sociology at York University. His graduate research focuses on Sikh activism and the inherent relationship between Sikhi and anarchism explored through historical and contemporary Sikh movements, such as the Kisān Morcha (Farmer’s Protests) of 2020-2021. 

Santbir Singh has served as an educator and activist in the Sikh community for over two decades. He continues cultivating a deeper relationship with Sabad Guru while focusing on Sikh inspirations for social activism, feminism, and decolonization through a multifaceted critical analysis using different schools of thought and tradition.

Santbir Singh is a facilitator at Sidak and an alumnus of Sidak 2012. He lives on Wendat, Anishinabek, Haudenosaunee, Mississauga, Hiawatha, Alderville & Métis Territory on Williams Treaties land (colonially known as Toronto), Canada, with his wonderful wife, incredible children, and wild dog.

Videos

Saturday
,
31
October
2020

Genocide

How do we remember? How do we advocate? How do we survive? Watch this webinar with three leading voices in the November 1984 Anti-Sikh pogroms study.

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Tuesday
,
9
February
2016

Liv - Free Akal Takht - Looking Back - Forging On

We were once free. Our sovereign institutions were answerable only to the Guru and the Divine. Today the Akal Takht, built by Guru Harigobind Sahib, is under the laws of the Indian state.

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Podcasts

Tuesday
,
14
April
2026

Sirdar Kapur Singh's Idea of the Sikh Homeland

In this episode of the Sikh Cast, join researchers Santbir Singh and Damanpreet Singh as they explore the writings of Sirdar Kapur Singh, one of the leading Sikh thinkers of the twentieth century.

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Friday
,
10
April
2026

Sovereignty in Motion: Sikh Governance Models

In this episode of the Sikh Cast, join Researchers Santbir Singh and Damanpreet Singh as they reflect on Vaisakhi and the principle of sovereignty. The two discuss Santbir Singh’s article, titled: Sovereignty in Motion: Sikh Governance Models.

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Friday
,
23
January
2026

Sikhi & Death: A Gurmat-Based Understanding

In this podcast, we are invited to pause and reflect: What does Sikhi actually say about death? How are we meant to face it, understand it, and live in its awareness? 

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Thursday
,
7
November
2024

Heartbeats of ‘84

Join host Santbir Singh as he delves into the profound impact of 1984 through the personal reflections of guest Pritpal Singh.

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Saturday
,
29
June
2024

The Attack on Political Sikhi

Manvinder Kaur and Santbir Singh explore the events of 1984 that forever transformed the landscape of Sikh history and politics in India.

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Friday
,
28
June
2024

Why Was Bhindranwale There?

Santbir Singh delves into the complex and sometimes controversial legacy of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale during the events of June 1984.

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Articles

Tuesday
,
7
April
2026

Sovereignty in Motion: Sikh Governance Models

In the Sikh tradition, sovereignty is a boon of the Divine, entrusted to the House of Nanak and carried forward through the Gurus into the dual institution of Guru Granth and Panth.

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Friday
,
27
February
2026

Guru Harikrishan Sahib: Capacity, Care, and the Rights of Children

Explore how Guru Harikrishan Sahib redefined leadership as a child. This article invites readers to reflect on what the Guru’s life teaches us about children’s rights, capacity, and Sikh ethics of care.

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Thursday
,
29
January
2026

Joy as Refusal

Guru Gobind Sahib’s engagement with aesthetics, joy, and poetry became tools against imperial attempts to shrink Sikh life into fear, silence, and mere survival.

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Tuesday
,
28
October
2025

Guru Harirai Sahib: The Healer and the Defender

Guru Har Rai’s reign was one of seeming contradictions: compassion and ever-readiness to fight for sovereignty, spiritual and political development, and strengthening and consolidating innovations of earlier Gurus.

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Monday
,
8
September
2025

The Legacy of Jaswant Singh Khalra

30 years later, what can we learn from Jaswant Singh Khalra—who exposed Punjab Police crimes of extrajudicial killings and cremations?

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Tuesday
,
4
June
2024

Why Was Bhindranwale There?

Sant Jarnail Singh Khalsa Bhindranwale is a pivotal figure in the events of 1984. There is much consternation and confusion over his actions and choices in the lead-up to the June 1984 Ghallughara.

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Presenting at Upcoming Events

Sat
,
May 30

Miri-Piri: Living Sikh Sovereignty

This 2.5-hour Sidak event offers participants aged 18-39 a glimpse into the transformative two-week Sidak summer leadership program.

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Sat
,
Jun 20

Man Manik

Central Public School, Multipurpose Room

This interactive workshop explores Sheikh Farid Ji’s verses alongside the Gurus’ wisdom, inviting us to reflect on the human condition and our place within it.

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Sun
,
Jul 26

Sidak 2026

Khalsa Centre

Sidak is a transformative educational experience designed for young Sikh adults aged 18 to 39. It brings together seekers from all over the world to learn, grow, and lead with purpose.

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