Date of Completion

5-11-2013

Embargo Period

5-11-2013

Keywords

Queer, South Asians, Identity negotiation, Sexuality, Race, Ethnicity, Migration, Transnationalism

Major Advisor

Bandana Purkayastha

Associate Advisor

Davita S Glasberg

Associate Advisor

Manisha Desai

Associate Advisor

Mary Bernstein

Field of Study

Sociology

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy

Open Access

Campus Access

Abstract

While the field of sexualities is growing rapidly, few scholars focus on racial minority groups and even fewer on Asian Americans and South Asians. Though there is a growing body of literature that analyses the experiences of LBGTQ immigrants, the majority focuses on socio-economically disadvantaged groups. On the other hand, scholarly works on South Asians in the U.S. rarely engage with the question of non-heterosexual identities. It is rich in its commentary on race, ethnicity, gender and intergenerational difference but elusive on its concern with class, entrenched in the domain of heterosexuality and mostly inattentive to the question of non-conforming sexuality. Based on the identification of aforementioned gaps, this dissertation delves into the experiences of a socio-economically advantaged LGBT immigrant group – South Asians – and situates the discussion at the nexus of theories of sexualities, intersectionality and transnationalism. Based on the 30 in-depth interviews, the study analyses how Queer South Asians in the U.S. negotiate their positions and manage their sexual and/or racial identities within the family, in the LGBTQ community, in intimate relationships and in ethnic communities located in the U.S.

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