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WORLD ANTHROPOLOGICAL UNION

CONGRESS 2024​

Paper

“Queer clan”: Territorial politics and queer kinship in Assam, India

presenters

    Simashree Bora

    Nationality: Indian

    Residence: India

    Cotton University, Guwahati Assam

    Presence:Face to Face/ On Site

Keywords:

Queer clan, sexuality, territorial, politics

Abstract:

Building upon queer theorization, this paper explores social and kinship formation as a new approach to queer politics. Based on Assam, one of the northeastern states in India, this study explores the emergence of certain new forms of kinship patterns within queer politics. By using “Queer clan” as a terminology, the paper investigates the process of clan formation that is deemed necessary for marking the transformations and the changes occurring within queer politics. The term holds multifaceted meanings, built upon spatial, regional and ideological grounds, and to distinguish different politics. Drawing inspirations from Kath Weston’s ‘Families we Choose’ (1991) that presents the idea of kinship practices among gays and lesbians in the U.S and form an alternative kinship based on friendship and community networks. For that, sexuality is a ground of common experience via friendship networks, recognition and togetherness (Weston 1991). Queerness challenges the status quo and resist not only gender and sexual normativity but more. Queer clan is, thereby, territorial as it underlines the importance of strategic choice of places for queer performance and politics, including a careful choice of clan members. In that sense, clan is an extension of family and community. Clan formation is strategic and primal in nature, and by that queer politics is not simply limited to sexual identity politics. Using the Weberian concept ‘charismatic authority’, the paper unravels the process of queer leaderships, membership and institution building in order to carrying out various activities. Following that, it unravels the initiation of members to be part of the larger network. Understanding such practices offers a space to deliberate the diverse positionality within queers and queer politics, that is often left out in discussions. The process of institution building for queer advocacy is significant for activism and policy making.