The Nation's Tortured Body

"Historical anthropology at its best, "The Nation's Tortured Body" explores the history and politics of the Sikhs in a complex, and contested, transnational context. Axel's book evocatively charts the ways in which the crossing and marking of boundaries have shaped the foundational identities of a diasporic community, providing a graphic illustration of the multiple meanings of the idea of 'homeland' in our contemporary postcolonial world."--Nicholas B. Dirks, Columbia University