Interrogating the Experience of Quaker Scholars in Hindu and Sikh Studies: Spiritual Journeying and Academic Engagement

This article reports a recent investigation of the relationship between the spiritual and academic journeys of seven scholars whose fields involve the study of aspects of Sikh and/or Hindu faith. Several frameworks for the study are suggested, including Quaker encounter with Indic religions; the changing nature of social diversity; and the insider/outsider discussion in religious studies. Discussion of their experience highlights the participants’ faith background and promptings to attend a Quaker Meeting for Worship as well as the initial impetus to their academic specialism, their guiding values and their self-identification. Multiple connections between the two ‘journeys’ emerge—not least the convergence between participants’ values and the Quaker testimonies—and this ‘career coherence’ illustrates an emergent emphasis in literature on the role of spirituality in career development.