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UID:pretalx-wha-annual-meeting-korea-2026-QPNV9R@pretalx.com
DTSTART;TZID=KST:20260627T135500
DTEND;TZID=KST:20260627T141500
DESCRIPTION:Indian novels and cinema have undergone significant transformat
 ions in recent years\, increasingly engaging with themes that were once co
 nsidered taboo\, such as lesbianism. This thesis attempts to examine the r
 ole of Indian novels and cinema in creating a representational space for q
 ueer women within society.\n\nTo challenge prevailing taboos surrounding l
 esbianism\, this study explores the portrayal of queer women in Manju Kapu
 r’s A Married Woman\, Abha Dawesar’s Babyji\, and the transnational In
 dian film Fire directed by Deepa Mehta. These works are among the few Indi
 an narratives that explicitly depict lesbian relationships and female same
 -sex desire. The thesis argues that such portrayals contribute toward fost
 ering social acceptance of alternative sexualities by presenting queer wom
 en with emotional depth\, agency\, and legitimacy.\n\nThe study examines h
 ow Indian novels and cinema help shape a more positive outlook toward lesb
 ianism in the psyche of readers and viewers. Through nuanced characterizat
 ion and realistic storytelling\, A Married Woman\, Babyji\, and Fire chall
 enge heteronormative frameworks and offer alternative models of identity w
 ithin the Indian socio-cultural context. These texts and the film are anal
 yzed as cultural interventions that question dominant ideologies and open 
 dialogue on female sexuality.\n\nThe thesis employs media theory and queer
  theory as its primary theoretical frameworks to analyze how representatio
 n functions in literature and cinema. Key themes such as the male and fema
 le gaze\, emotional complexities of queer relationships\, ideological cons
 tructions of reality\, and the generic differences between novels and film
  are explored. Chapters One and Two focus on a close reading of the novels
 \, while the subsequent section examines the film Fire. Together\, these c
 hapters highlight how narrative forms contribute to the evolving discourse
  on lesbian identity in Indian society.
DTSTAMP:20260412T123923Z
LOCATION:Room 403 PC Desk (Seats 30)
SUMMARY:Representation of Lesbianism in Indian Culture: A Comparative Study
  of Select Indian English Novelists’ Characterization and Depiction in I
 ndian Film - Vaishali Gupta
URL:https://pretalx.com/wha-annual-meeting-korea-2026/talk/QPNV9R/
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