Imaginations of Sexual Citizenship: Homonationalist Narratives in India and Kashmir

印度通过Navtej Singh Johar诉印度联邦（2018）的判决将同性恋合法化，这被称为一个分水岭时刻，为酷儿群体寻求平等公民权开辟了多种途径。然而，这种对酷儿认可的法律进步一直伴随着种族民族主义者试图挪用性话语。调查种族民族主义和政治之间日益增长的相互作用，我的研究将广泛地着眼于审视种族民族主义项目在印度性公民的信息和/或构成酷儿想象中的作用。为了实现这一点，我的研究将解决以下相互关联的问题：(i)法律认可的酷儿社区如何设想并将自己定位为国家的民族主义想象的一部分？（ii）在印度，作为种族民族主义项目核心的伊斯兰恐惧症是如何卷入对性公民身份的奇怪想象的？（iii）酷儿公民身份和民族主义思想之间的这种共谋对酷儿的激进潜力有什么影响？为了回答这些问题，我的研究将依赖于通过三种不同的方法通过多地点的研究方法收集原始数据：在酷儿档案（QAMRA）进行研究，与酷儿活动家进行开放式访谈，以及在印度多个城市的骄傲游行中进行参与者观察。我的研究旨在开发一个关键的镜头，探索印度的酷儿社区之间的权力配置的新形式，以及其对进步政治，少数民族代表和民主价值观在印度的背景下的影响。

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.