Obituary

W.H. McLeod (1932-2009)

Having battled courageously with cancer for seven years, W.H. McLeod had a fall and succumbed to his injuries on July 20, 2009. Known to be a caring family person, a generous teacher, and an outstanding scholar of the Sikh tradition, McLeod will be missed by family and friends spread around the globe.

New Zealanders by birth, Hew McLeod and his wife Margaret arrived in the Punjab under the auspices of their church in the late 1950s, underwent a transformation to turn into self-proclaimed atheists, developed a special affection for the Sikhs, and McLeod went onto to dedicate the rest of his life toward studying the Sikh community.

His scholarly career began with Guru Nanak and Sikh Religion (Clarendon Press, 1968) and the extensive work that followed this can be placed under the broad categories of Sikh history, translations of early Sikh texts, and critical discussions of early Sikh literature. His seminal studies in these three areas include The Evolution of the Sikh Community (Clarendon Press, 1975) and Who is a Sikh? The Problem of Sikh Identity (Clarendon Press, 1989); The B-40 Janam Sakhi (Guru Nanak Dev University, 1980) and The Chaupa Singh Rahit-Nama (University of Otago, 1987); Early Sikh Tradition (Clarendon Press, 1980) and Sikhs of the Khalsa Rahit (Oxford University Press, 2003), respectively. In terms of range, depth, and usefulness for teaching the Sikh tradition, McLeod’s writings constitute a class by themselves.

McLeod’s contribution to Sikh Studies also includes mentoring students who now hold positions of prominence within the field. Tony Ballantyne (University of Otago, New Zealand), Louis Fenech (University of Northern Iowa, U.S.A.), and Pashaura Singh (University of California, Riverside) worked under his direct guidance, while many others—myself included—had the benefit of his advice at crucial junctures of their academic careers. In this role, McLeod was generous with his time and did whatever he could to help younger scholars find their own paths.

Furthermore, McLeod took upon himself the responsibility of helping the Western world become aware of the importance of the Sikh community and its traditions. At the invitation of the American Council of Learned Societies, he delivered a series of lectures at North American universities during 1986-1987, and later appeared as ‘expert witness’ in the Canadian courts on issues ranging from the nature and importance of the Sikh turban to the understanding of the Sikh sword (kirpan) as a religious symbol. Until 2002, when his health began to deteriorate, one cannot think of any major academic event concerning Sikhism in North America in which he was not present.

McLeod’s career, however, was not without bumps. From the very outset, controversies dogged his research, and scholarly opinion remained split on the nature of his work. Some scholars were critical of his argument developed in Guru Nanak and the Sikh Religion and as a result he was not invited to the international conference held at Punjabi University, Patiala, to celebrate the fifth centennial of Guru Nanak’s birth in 1969. Simultaneously, there were others who supported the publication of a Punjabi translation of the section on the Guru’s teachings in the same book by Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, in 1974.

With his subsequent writings, these tensions turned into noisy public denunciations of McLeod’s scholarship at Sikh forums both in the Punjab and overseas in the late 1980s. The publication of his provocatively entitled Who is a Sikh? The Problem of Sikh Identity, in 1989, did not help this situation. McLeod was, however, fortunate to have the support of Margaret, a very special human being in her own right, and he stoically made his way forward through this period of agony and stress. He provides his reflection on this phase of his life in his book Discovering the Sikhs (Permanent Black, 2004).

The precise nature of McLeod’s scholarly legacy will be sorted out in the months and years ahead. As I write, there are some scholars who consider his formulations on various issues of Sikh history as sacrosanct, and there are others who so profoundly dislike what he has written that they are not able to discuss it in a calm manner. No matter what shade of opinion one may hold between these extremes, there is no question about the fact that McLeod’s writings have remained at the center of Sikh scholarship during the past four decades. His imprint on the field stands unmatched by any other scholar of his generation.

Professor McLeod at UC Santa Barbara in 2001

It is hard for me to miss this opportunity to publically acknowledge my gratitude for his role in my own scholarly growth. The fact that I hold different positions than those of Professor McLeod on a wide variety of issues ranging from the origin of the Sikh community to the dating of many early Sikh texts did not effect his support for my work and affection for my family. I salute this beautiful human being and outstanding scholar for his unquestionable integrity!

For me, the best homage to the memory of Professor McLeod lies in the continuation of his legacy of asking difficult questions, stating one’s research results with candor, and defending them to the best of one’s ability, if need be. While coming to terms with the hard fact of his departure from the scene, I believe his admirers, critics, and others alike need to begin a more nuanced discussion about the future of Sikh Studies in the post-McLeod era. Nothing would please him more than seeing our concerted effort towards encouraging the growth of responsible scholarship and the coexistence of a wide variety of ideas in the field he so caringly nurtured for over four decades!

Gurinder Singh Mann
University of California, Santa Barbara
July 25, 2009