Assignment 2 Handout _ Muhammad Taha, Roya, & Resham

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AP/HIND 3710 Assignment 2 Handout Written By Roya Mehdinejad Muhammed Taha Shaikh Resham Mughal Written For: Shobna Nijhawan Date: Monday, March 4th, 2023 York University, Contemporary Literatures of the South Asian Diaspora

Gopinath, Gayatri. "Nostalgia, Desire, Diaspora: South Asian Sexualities in Motion" in Positions. East Asia Cultures Critique (Vol. 5, Issue 2), 1997, 467-489 1. Compare the different meanings of home for heterosexual and queer diasporic subjects as described by Gayatri Gopinath. Then, list 3 examples from the short stories we read in the past weeks to further lay out Gopinath’s claim. Gopinath suggests that for heterosexual diasporic subjects, “home” is often idealised as a place of comfort, stability, and cultural familiarity. However, for queer diasporic subjects, “home” is not only something desired but also something inherently unattainable. It becomes a space marked by violence, both familial and national, where queer individuals may face rejection and marginalisation due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. As a result, their sense of home is often fragmented, fluid, and transient, existing in multiple spaces and identities simultaneously. In Lahiri’s “Unaccustomed Earth”, the characters navigate the complexities of identity, belonging, and familial expectations as Indian immigrants in the United States. For heterosexual diasporic subjects like the parents in the stories, “home” often represents a longing for the familiarity and cultural traditions of India. In the story “Dinner with Dr. Azad”, author Ali explores the experiences of a Bangladeshi family living in England and their struggles with cultural assimilation and maintaining ties to their homeland. In contrast, for queer diasporic subjects within the same community, “home” could be a space where they feel pressured to conceal their true selves due to cultural taboos surrounding non-heteronormative identities. Lastly, “Pigs Can’t Fly” presents a narrative that challenges conventional notions of gender and sexuality within the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora. For Arjie, who grapples with his nonconforming gender identity and later his sexuality, “home” becomes a site of tension and conflict as he struggles to reconcile societal expectations with his own sense of self. 2. J. Alexander, in Gopinath, concludes that “the nation demands heterosexuality as a prerequisite of ‘good citizenship,’ since it depends on the family as a reproductive unit through which the stability of gender roles and hierarchies is preserved. Heterosexuality, in other words, is fundamental to the way in which the nation imagines itself” (Alexander quoted in Gopinath, 469). Explain this observation in your own words and list a total of 2 examples either from the short stories we read or from other contexts that you know of. In simpler terms, J. Alexander’s observation highlights how nationalism often reinforces heterosexuality as a prerequisite for being considered a “good citizen”. This is because the nation relies on the traditional family unit, where heterosexual reproduction is central to maintaining stability in gender roles and societal hierarchies. In essence, heterosexuality becomes foundational to the national identity and how it perceives itself. Meaning that individuals, particularly nonheterosexual females, are marginalised within nationalist narratives. In “Funny Boy” by Shyam Selvaduari, Arjie’s exploration of his queer identity challenges the heteronormative expectations within his Sri Lankan Tamil community. His experiences highlight the tension between his nonheteronormative sexuality and the traditional family structures upheld by nationalist discourses. In a broader context, we should consider the historical erasure of queer identities from national narratives and movements.

For example, during the civil rights movement in the U.S., the contributions of the queer activists and individuals were often overlooked or downplayed in favour of glorifying heteronormative relationships and family structures. “Pigs can’t Fly” by Shyam Selvadurai 3. How is Arjie performing queer femininity and thereby putting gender roles in question? Arjie is a little boy who chooses to dress up as a bride with his female cousins instead of playing cricket with his male cousins. In this game called bride-bride with his female cousins, Arjie dresses up as a female bride which is a sign of performing queer femininity. Through Arjie’s choice of performing queer femininity in bride-bride, he puts gender roles in question. Arjie’s choice is proof that boys can enjoy activities that are not confined by gender. Arjie’s family and society at large expect Arjie to want to play cricket and not bride-bride. Arjie challenges these pre-assigned gender roles by doing what makes him happiest, proving to the world that traditional gender roles are not for everyone. 4. How may the game bride-bride question the authority of heteronormativity? Heteronormativity is based on the assumption that being heterosexual is natural and something we are born with. However, Arjie challenges the authority of heteronormativity by displaying the desire to dress like a woman in a totally pure and innocent way. Since Arjie is a child, he goes against the theory of Heteronormativity by proving that children can feel a natural recognition to assume a different gender role. Arjie is an example that Heteronormativity is false, since it is neither natural for him and does not encompass everyone. 5. Explain the title of the story “Pigs can’t fly”. The title of the story relates to dialogue in the story when Arjie is questioning his mom why he can’t play with the girls. His mom replies “because pigs can’t fly”, to basically imply to him that dressing up as a girl is not natural. Just like it is unnatural for pigs to fly. The author named the story “pigs can't fly” to provoke the reader into thinking about challenging our beliefs of what is impossible. In the story we see that Arjie can dress up and be a bride, but only others try to force him to believe that he cannot. The author is pushing the idea that certain beliefs we hold as impossible, such as males not being able to enter a female role can in fact be challenged. In the end we learn that pigs can indeed fly and we should challenge our beliefs. Gopinath, G. “Diaspora.” Keywords for Gender and Sexuality Studies . Vol. 13. 2021. 67–70 6. Why is the general definition of “Diaspora” problematic for Gender and Sexuality Studies scholars? (1 point) The usage of “Diaspora” does not typically have a direct association with Gender and Sexualiy. Historically, people who are queer or are with another sexual identity were never

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included or mentioned in diaspora literature. The traditional definition of diaspora often operates within a framework of heteronormativity, assuming cisgender and heterosexual norms as the default. This is an issue for conflict as it overlooks the experiences of gender non- conforming,trasngender, and non-binary individuals within diasporic communities, whose identities/struggles may differ significantly from those of their cisgender and heterosexual counterparts. The term “Diaspora” is a collective experience where you don’t feel like you belong or migration of a group of people who moved from their homeland. However, this differs with the diasporic community as gender and sexuality experience a different event when it comes to migration and belonging. 7. What does it mean to frame “Diaspora” intersectionality? Framing "Diaspora" intersectionality involves examining and understanding the complex ways in which individuals within a diaspora experience various intersecting identities and social factors. Multiple identities, power dynamics, cultural contexts, global perspective, advocacy and activism. Framing "Diaspora" intersectionality involves a nuanced and inclusive analysis that goes beyond a single-dimensional understanding of identity. It seeks to capture the diversity and complexity of experiences within diaspora communities, acknowledging the intersections of various social categories in shaping individuals' lives. 8. How does Gopinath describe scholarship engaging with the relationship between Diaspora and Settler Colonialism? The overall concept of Diaspora is that Diaspora studies has also drawn criticism for not being sufficiently attentive to the workings of settler colonialism in mapping the ground upon which diasporic communities take root. Diaspora studies often overlook the ways in which settler colonialism has shaped the experiences of diasporic communities. Gopinath suggests that scholars need to pay more attention to the ways in which colonialism and diaspora intersect in order to fully understand the complexities of these experiences.

Assignment 2 Handout _ Muhammad Taha, Roya, & Resham

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