Mourning a queer aunty: kinship, creative resilience and world-making

Dasgupta, R. K. (2023) Mourning a queer aunty: kinship, creative resilience and world-making. South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies, 46(1), pp. 234-251. (doi: 10.1080/00856401.2023.2150446)

Abstract

Indian queer and trans activist Agniva passed away in 2016. This article draws on memoir, anecdote, research interviews and digital ethnography to explore the impact that Agniva had on a range of queer and trans people. The author details experiences he shared with Agniva and analyses virtual memorials and obituaries for her in order to account for the emotional labour that queer aunties do for their kin. This article thus explores the aunty-niece relationships that exist as a form of queer kinship, especially in the context of heteronormative homo/transphobic social systems and structures. It is also a narration of queer grief, exploring creative resistance and public mourning for a person who was variously a mother, a trans activist, a human rights warrior and a mashi (aunt) to the author.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: Most of the empirical material discussed in this article comes from the research funded project, ‘Launda Dancers in Rural India’, funded through the Sir Peter Holmes Memorial Award by the Royal Society for Asian Affairs in 2012 (ethics clearance provided by the University of the Arts, London) and a Wellcome Trust Humanities and Social Science Small Award for the project, ‘Mobile-ising for Sexual Health’, in 2016 (ethics clearance provided by the University of Southampton).
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Dasgupta, Dr Rohit
• Authors: Dasgupta, R. K.
• College/School: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Culture and Creative Arts > Theatre Film and TV Studies
• Journal Name: South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• ISSN: 0085-6401
• ISSN (Online): 1479-0270
• Published Online: 16 January 2023
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2023 The Authors
• First Published: First published in South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies 46(1): 234-251
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License