Description
This paper builds upon extant literature on gender and nation/nationalisms by putting it in conversation with Queer and Trans Theories. It argues that although previous literature successfully establishes that gender is central to nationalisms, it tends to think in binary terms of masculinities and femininities. Accordingly, the paper moves towards theorizing the potential contributions of Queer and Trans theories in comprehending transitional periods when nations and their self-identifications are in a flux. The paper suggests that examining the concept of the nation through a non-binary lens allows IR to identify the ‘in-betweenness’ of national imaginations and its implications for how a nation locates itself in the international arena.
The paper draws upon the Indian example, arguing that currently evolving national imaginations in India also play a role in reimagining India’s location in world politics. A nation typically imagined as feminine (Mother India) is being attributed more masculine traits in contemporary (Hindu nationalist) imaginations, as it also retains its femininity. This masculine stance allows India to depict itself as transitioning from a nation grappling with postcolonial realities to a nation finding its ‘footing’ in the international arena. Thus, the paper suggests that a Queer and Trans Theory lens would help move beyond binaries such as masculine/feminine, modern/traditional, etc., complicating our existing understandings of the nation, especially in postcolonial and non-Western contexts.
