Special Journal Issue Explores Queer Culture in South Asia
Liberal Studies Assistant Professor Jeff Roy has guest edited a special issue of Feminist Review titled “Queer Elsewhere ←→ South Asian Imaginaries,” which explores gender diversity and sexual identity across South Asia and beyond.
The special issue led by Roy, Pavithra Prasad (Cal State Northridge), Rumya Putcha (University of Georgia) and Omar Kasmani (Freie Univesität, Berlin) offers unique perspectives on queer and hijra-thirunangai-Khwaja Sira-trans experiences in the global South, as part of a collective effort to decolonize queer studies.
“The articles, essays and multi-modal works in this themed issue journey beyond area and queer studies’ analytical habits to center queer and trans figures as abundantly loving and desiring, not just as suffering,” said Roy. “While the issue speaks to the material conditions of queer and trans representational and experiential geopolitics, it also explores how configurations of South Asian queer and hijra-thirunangai-Khwaja Sira-trans experiences—such as those shaped by class and diaspora, caste and gender, erasure and presence—offer themselves as translucencies through which to glimpse an even more ephemeral vision of queerness out of time, place and culture.”
The special issue brings together 18 artists, creative practitioners, activists and scholars across a range of fields with ties to South Asia. Among the featured pieces include the article, “Bodies that Matter: Partition Masculinity and the Transgender Archive in Qissa” by Colorado College Professor Rushaan Kumar, a coda titled “South Asia and Sexuality: Still | Here” by UC Santa Cruz Professor Anjali Arondekar, and visual work from the “Tomorrow We Inherit the Earth” installation series by artist, curator and activist Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
Visit the CEIS news site to read the full story.
Latest Achievements
- Political Science Alum Turned Cybersecurity Finds Journey to SuccessAlfred Ortiz, the CEO of a prominent Colorado-based cybersecurity company, is a testament to the power of education and the impact it can have on a student’s career trajectory. Recently, Ortiz testified in front of the U.S. Senate regarding small businesses in the cybersecurity sector. The Cal Poly Pomona alumnus (‘92, political science), who founded Cyber Software Distributors in 2018, has not only achieved remarkable success in the cybersecurity field. Even as a social sciences student, Ortiz developed an interest in technology. He found that the skills he was acquiring in his political science courses were adaptable to the tech world. “CPP was very influential,” Ortiz said. “The learning …
- UCLA Report Explores Race and EducationCal Poly Pomona Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership Liane I. Hypolite recently co-authored the fourth report in a series of papers from UCLA’s Civil Rights Project. The inception of this research study was prompted by growing concerns over legislation threatening to limit the discussion of racial history in classrooms. In response to pushback and bans from legislators, the report aims to empower educators with the knowledge and tools needed to teach race effectively and address the contentious issue of teaching race in schools. The report is headed by Suneal Kolluri, assistant professor in the Educational Policy and Leadership Department at the UC Riverside School of Education; Liane I. Hypolite, …
- Trio Selected for Leadership ProgramThree Huntley College of Agriculture faculty were selected for a prestigious national agricultural leadership program. Professor Eileen Cullen, Associate Professor Hyungchul Han, and Professor Olive Li were chosen to participate in Leadership for the 21st Century (LEAD21). They are among 90 participants selected from around the country. Cullen is chair of the Department of Plant Science, while Han and Li are from the Department of Animal and Veterinary Science and the Department of Nutrition and Food Science, respectively. LEAD21 is intended to meet the future needs for leadership development of faculty, specialists, program and team leaders, research station and center directors, district and regional directors, department heads and chairs, and …
- IGE Lecturers Release New Book on Historical Representations of Women in FilmA new book titled “American Women’s History on Film” by Interdisciplinary General Education (IGE) lecturers Rosanne Welch and Peg Lamphier analyzes the portrayal of women’s history in 10 American films including: “Salt of the Earth,” “Confirmation,” “Norma Rae,” “Silkwood,” “Joy Luck Club,” “Iron Jawed Angels,” “Monster,” “G.I. Jane,” “On the Basis of Sex” and “Hidden Figures.” According to Welch and Lamphier, inequities in the American film industry have resulted in a lack of films highlighting critical moments in women’s history. Their book, “American Women’s History on Film,” aims to combat this issue and the marginalization of women filmmakers by showcasing high quality films, mostly written by women, while also analyzing …
- Athletes Appreciate Faculty and Staff on Special NightCal Poly Pomona athletes from various sports nominated faculty and staff members to be appreciated not only with a plaque, but the kind of applause athletes receive in the athletic arena. At halftime of the men’s and women’s home basketball games on Feb. 23, athletes escorted the nominated faculty and staff members through a tunnel of cheerleaders to midcourt, where they received an ovation from the crowd. The faculty and staff members nominated for appreciation:Nell Horowitz, Communication Anthony Orlando, Finance, Real Estate & Law Nathan Tung, Physics Ben Dewald, The Collins College of Hospitality Management Ronald Pike, Computer Information Systems Kelly Huh, Geography Jill Shirley, Mathematics Felipe Perez, Civil …
- Liberal Studies Professor’s Art Featured in New York ExhibitA new exhibit featuring artwork by Liberal Studies Assistant Professor Maya Stovall is currently on display at Analog Diary in Beacon, New York until Jan. 22. The “Clear and Present” group exhibition is a collection of work that explores the ongoing legacy of the Light and Space movement, which originated in Southern California in the early 1960s. Light and Space artists engage in unconventional media including light, space and shadows to create revolutionary visual designs. Included in the show is Stovall’s largescale neon work entitled, “A _____ That Defies Gravity, no. 60-69,” part of the sculptural abstraction series from her “Neon Theatre” project illuminating critical historical moments in neon lights. “The Light and Space movement has …