The faculty opponent was Professor Jyoti Puri from Simmons College, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Venue: Auditoriet/Hörsalen, Kulturen, Tegnérplatsen in Lund. The thesis deals with homosexuality in a non-Western setting, namely contemporary neo-liberal Hindu/Muslim India. The project intends to fill a gap the knowledge about this phenomenon, addressing the intersections between the recent decriminalization of homosexuality in India, human rights, globalization and India’s post-colonial status. It aims to bring into dialogue current Western studies on (‘queer’) sexualities with the constructions of sexualities in India, and in doing so examine how the rights of female and male homosexuals in today’s India might be constrained, or facilitated.
Data has been collected in an Indian field site and contrasted with empirical findings, for instance, from Sweden. The material will consist of a combination of qualitative individual interviews and focused group interviews, first of all with homosexuals but also with NGO organizations and politicians. In addition, Maria has carried out a discourse analysis of legal documents and media debates in India. More information.