Sikhism in French at the University of Montreal

MONTREAL (TIP): University of Montreal in Quebec province of Canada becomes the first University in the World to launch a graduate-level course on Sikhism, taught in French, offered as part of its Doctoral and Master’s-level curriculum.

Though several universities in North America have Chairs for Sikh studies, Montreal University has taken the lead to introduce courses on Sikhism in French, says Montreal-based businessman, Baljeet Singh Chadha, and his wife, Mandeep (Roshi) Kaur Chadha.

“The Sikh Studies in French will start from the current academic session starting this month. “It is a milestone representing an important step forward in the academic study of Sikhism and in making Sikh studies accessible to French-speaking students and scholars. Also, these courses create bridges for inter-religious and inter-cultural understandings,” adds Baljeet Singh Chadha.

According to a communique from the University of Montreal, this graduate (Master’s degree) course at the University of Montreal will offer an in-depth study of the Sikh tradition and its connections to the bhakti tradition. It will examine sacred texts as well as the rituals, doctrines, philosophy, and belief systems of Sikhism.
What will the University of Montreal Sikhism course cover?
According to the university, the graduate-level course will provide an in-depth study of the Sikh tradition and its relationship with the bhakti tradition.

The curriculum will examine:

Sikh sacred texts

Sikh rituals and practices

Doctrines and philosophy

Sikh belief systems

The impact of colonialism on the Sikh tradition

Sikhism in the postcolonial period

Conflicts and nationalist movements

Contemporary Sikhism in India and the diaspora

Representations of Sikhism in popular cinema

The course is taught in French, while students will be allowed to complete their examinations and written assignments in either French or English.

Who is teaching the Sikhism course?

The course is being taught under the supervision of Professor Diana Dimitrova, a full professor specializing in South Asian traditions and cultures at the University of Montreal.

Dimitrova is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. She holds a doctorate in South Asian Studies from Heidelberg University in Germany.

Her academic work covers areas including cultural identity, nationalism, discourses of otherness and South Asian perspectives on the body.

She has previously served as a visiting scholar at institutions including McGill University, the University of Miami, KU Leuven, the University of Liège, the Free University of Brussels, the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences in Paris and Heidelberg University.

Diana Dimitrova’s research and academic work
Dimitrova is the author and editor of several works on South Asian culture and traditions.

Her recent publications include Cultural Identity in Hindi Plays: Poetics, Politics and Theatre in India, published by Oxford University Press in 2023, and the edited volume Mythologizing in South Asian Traditions: Myth, Gender, Power and Politics, published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2025.

Her current research focuses on the Brahma Kumaris tradition in Canada and the United States.

Dimitrova has also served as president and past president of the Canadian Society for the Study of Religion. She was a member of the executive board of the Canadian Corporation for Studies in Religion and co-editor of the “Matière à pensée” series published by the University of Montreal Press.

She currently serves as an editor of Routledge’s Series on South Asian Culture and Society and as an editor of De Gruyter Brill’s Culture, Religion and Society series.

Why is the French-language Sikhism course significant?
The launch gives French-speaking students and researchers an opportunity to study Sikhism at the graduate level in their primary academic language.

Supporters of the initiative say the course could broaden the academic study of Sikhism beyond English-language scholarship while encouraging greater understanding of Sikh history, beliefs and contemporary communities in India and the global diaspora.

The University of Montreal’s initiative comes as Sikh communities continue to expand their presence across Canada, including in Quebec, making academic engagement with Sikh history, culture and religious traditions increasingly relevant to the country’s multicultural landscape.
(With input from The Tribune)