Indian Trans Activism in the Aftermath of COVID-19

Suturing and Disrupting the State: Indian Trans Activism in the Aftermath of COVID-19

Professor Aniruddha Dutta
University of Iowa

Friday, March 25 at 11:00am.

Delivered on Zoom

A part of the Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies 2021-22 Visiting Speaker Series

Transgender and gender non-conforming people, particularly largely working-class and Dalit (oppressed-caste) communities such as kothis and hijras, are among those hit hardest during the COVID-19 pandemic in India. The pandemic has been exacerbated by the policies of the Indian state, which demonstrate an unstable assemblage or conjuncture of neoliberal and developmentalist tendencies, in keeping with long-term systemic patterns in the region. The talk situates contemporary Indian trans activism within the context of the neoliberal-developmentalist assemblage that characterizes governance in contemporary India, and examines the variable ways in which such activism negotiates fractures and contradictions within state apparatuses and modes of governance.

Registration link is here: https://westernuniversity.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUqduquqTgqGNMeOIQG5W64Tvj2i7Q9UiQx