Legitimacy in 3HO/Sikh Dharma

The 3HO/Sikh Dharma International community has been mired in controversy since 2020. I study this community, focusing on efforts to cultivate and maintain legitimacy when it has been seriously undermined. Analyzing community-wide emails from key organizations within the larger 3HO/SDI community reveals legitimization strategies of community presentation. Specifically, my analysis of community-wide emails reveal an emphasis on portraying diversity, publicizing an interest in racial equity and DEI more generally, and linking Sikh practice in 3HO/SDI with Sikhs and Sikh practice in India. I find that, given their crisis of legitimacy, 3HO/SDI must adapt its community presentation and practices to survive.