Queering India

by Ruth Vanita (editor)

Queering India is the first book to provide an understanding of same-sex love and eroticism in Indian culture and society. The essays focus on pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial gay and lesbian life in India to provide a comprehensive look at a much neglected topic. The topics are wide-ranging, considering film, literature, popular culture, historical and religious texts, law and other aspects of life in India. Specifically, the essays cover such issues as Deepa Mehta's recent and controversial film, Fire, which focused on lesbian relationships in India; the Indian penal code which outlaws homosexual acts; a case of same-sex love and murder in colonial India; homophobic fiction and homoerotic advertising in current day India; and lesbian subtext in Hindu scripture. All of the essays are original to the collection. Queering India promises to change the way we understand India as well as gay and lesbian life and sexuality around the world.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Queer, India, LGBT, Asia, Queer Studies

264 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Puja · Rating 4 out of 5]

i was pretty excited to see this at left bank books. i have never seen a book on queers in indian culture that wasn't textbook style. rather fascinating look at the homoeroticism culture of bollywood as well as other good topics.

[ARK · Rating 4 out of 5]

a wonderfully useful collection. ruth vanita continues to be a pioneer in south asian studies.

[Seona · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for class, and I thought it was really interesting. It definetly reframed things in a way I hadn't thought about before, and centered the importance of understanding the impact of colonization when deciphering queer existence in India. Some essays are better than others, but would reccomend.