Dr. Gayatri Reddy Co-Authored New Graphic Narrative “What Can Hijras Teach Us about Governance, Gender, and Wealth? A Brief and Spectacular Graphic Narrative.”
Introduction
Dr. Reddy co-authored a new graphic narrative published in Transgender Studies Quarterly (TSQ) with collaborator Shakthi Nataraj (Lancaster University, UK). Titled What Can Hijras Teach Us about Governance, Gender, and Wealth? A Brief and Spectacular Graphic Narrative, this work reflects the kind of interdisciplinary scholarship that the GWS Program proudly supports and celebrates.
This illustrated social history traces how hijras—trans-feminine communities in the Indian subcontinent—have long served as a linchpin in state regulations of social (dis)order across colonial and postcolonial contexts. The piece emphasizes how the regulation of gender often emerges from material regulation, including the governance of livelihoods, kinship structures, and wealth, while also highlighting the enduring resilience of hijras and other communities who continue to thrive despite these systems of control. Designed as a teaching tool, the narrative engages broader audiences in conversations about gender, sexuality, caste, labor, and kinship.
For more information and to read What Can Hijras Teach Us about Governance, Gender, and Wealth? A Brief and Spectacular Graphic Narrative, visit here.