The modern day hijra is an entertainer, a spiritual entity and involved in sex work. They wear saris and colorful makeup and are treated as jesters in a way. They will perform at weddings and baby showers. This article talks about Radhika a hijra as well as a guru who acts as a Madam and provides protection for her hijra clan. Radhika was born female but kids in school would tease her which is how she came to the realization she wasn't totally a girl but also wasn't totally a boy either. After her moms death and her dads abandonment, becoming a hijra was a method of self preservation.
I think this article does a good job summarizing what life is like for a Hijra now and the history of their community. I also find the pictures used in the article really beautiful and poignant.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/17/style/india-third-gender-hijras-transgender.html
Another one:
https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2014/04/18/304548675/a-journey-of-pain-and-beauty-on-becoming-transgender-in-india
Photo story, this one talks about Hijras describing themselves as mermaids:
This article also highlights how because there isn't a gender classification for Hijras they are prevented from holding government jobs or go to college.
http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20170720-the-semi-sacred-third-gender-of-south-asia
My favorite photo from the series
Hi Khadija!
ReplyDeleteI think that your contribution of articles gives a comprehensive perspective on two-spirit peoples in a culture different from what we read about in class (Hijras in Indian culture vs. two-spirit people in Native American culture) I think the New York Times article does a conclusive job of recognizing the positive and negative experiences that Hijras experience in modern day culture. It is intriguing to think that Native American culture was very accepting of two-spirit people and quite literally, thought of them as sacred to their culture. Unfortunately, in modern times, there is a lot of oppression associated with this identity, regardless if certain people are accepting. It is interesting, yet troubling, to read about the boundaries placed upon Hijras. Thanks for sharing and thanks for the insight!
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ReplyDeleteI found these articles really interesting! They speak to the ideas of sexuality and gender as being socially constructed, and how those constructs vary across different cultures. The effect of british colonialism on these constructs also speaks to their existence as social constructions.
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