Imaginations of Sexual Citizenship: Homonationalist Narratives in India and Kashmir

通过Navtej Singh Johar诉印度联盟(2018)的判决，印度将同性恋合法化，这被描述为一个分水岭时刻，为队列社区寻求平等公民身份开辟了各种途径。然而，在承认同性恋者的法律进步的同时，种族民族主义者也试图挪用性话语。调查种族民族主义和政治之间日益增长的互动，我的研究将广泛地旨在检验种族民族主义项目在告知和/或构成印度性公民身份的古怪想象中所扮演的角色。为了实现这一点，我的研究将解决以下相互关联的问题：(I)法律承认的同性恋社区如何将自己想象为民族主义想象的一部分，并将自己定位为国家身份的一部分？(Ii)伊斯兰恐惧症是民族民族主义项目的核心，它是如何卷入印度性公民身份的古怪想象中的？(Iii)酷儿公民权和民族主义思想之间的这种合谋对酷儿的激进潜能有什么影响？为了回答这些问题，我的研究将依赖于通过使用三种不同方法的多地点研究方法收集原始数据：在酷儿档案馆(QAMRA)进行研究，对酷儿活动人士进行开放式采访，以及在印度多个城市的骄傲游行上进行参与者观察。我的研究试图开发一个批判性的视角，探索印度酷儿社区中新的权力配置形式，以及它对印度背景下进步政治、少数群体代表和民主价值观的影响。

The decriminalisation of homosexuality in India through the Navtej Singh Johar vs Union of India (2018) judgement has been described as a watershed moment, opening up various avenues for the queer community to pursue equal citizenship. However, this legal progress towards queer recognition has been accompanied by attempts to appropriate sexual discourse by ethno-nationalists. Investigating this growing interaction between ethno-nationalism and politics, my research will broadly aim to examine the role of the ethno-nationalist project in informing and/or constituting the queer imaginations of sexual citizenship in India. To accomplish this, my research will address the following interconnected questions:(i) How do legally recognised queer communities envision and position themselves as a part of the nationalist imagination of the nationhood? (ii) How does Islamophobia, which is central to ethno-nationalist projects, get embroiled in queer imaginations of sexual citizenship in India? (iii) What is the effect of such complicity between ideas of queer citizenship and nationalism on the radical potential of queer? To answer these questions, my research will rely on collecting primary data through a multi-sited research approach using three different methods: research at queer archive (QAMRA), open-ended interviews with queer activists, and participant observation at pride parades in multiple cities across India. My research seeks to develop a critical lens that explores new forms of power configurations amongst India's queer community, as well as its implications for progressive politics, minority representation, and democratic values in the context of India.