Decolonizing Desire: South Asian Gender and Sexualities [6-weeks, $180 Suggested]

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Instructor: Dahiya | Mondays May 24-June 28 | 7:00-9:00 PM ET

During the long history of colonialism, the Western Gaze has represented South Asia as “exotic,” while simultaneously adding to already-existing forms of patriarchal sexual domination. Given this long history, it becomes especially important to tease out conceptions of sexuality and gender that existed before colonialism, in order to better understand how contemporary legacies of colonialism continue to inform present-day conceptions and lived experiences of gender, sex, and sexuality.

This course will study how gender and sexuality have historically evolved in South Asia, before, during, and after the formal end of colonialism. We will also examine how desire and erotics themselves can be colonialized.

In this class, we will ask: why are South Asian sexualities often marked and seen as “exotic”? Why does sexual violence continue to be prevalent in contemporary South Asia? What narratives of masculinity and femininity and love and relationships are typical in mainstream Bollywood cinema, and how might these representations affect our daily lives?

Throughout the course, We will study historical and contemporary writings, films, and other forms of art that challenge more mainstream heteronormative narratives of gender and sexuality. We will end the course by examining how gender and sexuality have been transformed and continue to evolve through South Asian diasporas from the past and into our present.

We depend on a mix of direct student donations and supplemental donations to make all classes pay-what-you-can. Please pick the pricing tier that corresponds with your needs and that you are able to pay now. If you would like to pay in installments, make your first payment now and make a note on your check-out form. If you would like to donate more later in the term, you can always come back and use the “Make a One Time Donation” button! To use a full scholarship, just pick the $3 tier to cover site/processor fees. 

If at any point up to 48 hours before your first class session you realize you will be unable to take the class, we will work with you to reallocate your funds to a future class, to another student’s scholarship, or refund it. After classes begin, we are only able to make partial refunds and adjustments.

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Instructor: Dahiya | Mondays May 24-June 28 | 7:00-9:00 PM ET

During the long history of colonialism, the Western Gaze has represented South Asia as “exotic,” while simultaneously adding to already-existing forms of patriarchal sexual domination. Given this long history, it becomes especially important to tease out conceptions of sexuality and gender that existed before colonialism, in order to better understand how contemporary legacies of colonialism continue to inform present-day conceptions and lived experiences of gender, sex, and sexuality.

This course will study how gender and sexuality have historically evolved in South Asia, before, during, and after the formal end of colonialism. We will also examine how desire and erotics themselves can be colonialized.

In this class, we will ask: why are South Asian sexualities often marked and seen as “exotic”? Why does sexual violence continue to be prevalent in contemporary South Asia? What narratives of masculinity and femininity and love and relationships are typical in mainstream Bollywood cinema, and how might these representations affect our daily lives?

Throughout the course, We will study historical and contemporary writings, films, and other forms of art that challenge more mainstream heteronormative narratives of gender and sexuality. We will end the course by examining how gender and sexuality have been transformed and continue to evolve through South Asian diasporas from the past and into our present.

We depend on a mix of direct student donations and supplemental donations to make all classes pay-what-you-can. Please pick the pricing tier that corresponds with your needs and that you are able to pay now. If you would like to pay in installments, make your first payment now and make a note on your check-out form. If you would like to donate more later in the term, you can always come back and use the “Make a One Time Donation” button! To use a full scholarship, just pick the $3 tier to cover site/processor fees. 

If at any point up to 48 hours before your first class session you realize you will be unable to take the class, we will work with you to reallocate your funds to a future class, to another student’s scholarship, or refund it. After classes begin, we are only able to make partial refunds and adjustments.

Instructor: Dahiya | Mondays May 24-June 28 | 7:00-9:00 PM ET

During the long history of colonialism, the Western Gaze has represented South Asia as “exotic,” while simultaneously adding to already-existing forms of patriarchal sexual domination. Given this long history, it becomes especially important to tease out conceptions of sexuality and gender that existed before colonialism, in order to better understand how contemporary legacies of colonialism continue to inform present-day conceptions and lived experiences of gender, sex, and sexuality.

This course will study how gender and sexuality have historically evolved in South Asia, before, during, and after the formal end of colonialism. We will also examine how desire and erotics themselves can be colonialized.

In this class, we will ask: why are South Asian sexualities often marked and seen as “exotic”? Why does sexual violence continue to be prevalent in contemporary South Asia? What narratives of masculinity and femininity and love and relationships are typical in mainstream Bollywood cinema, and how might these representations affect our daily lives?

Throughout the course, We will study historical and contemporary writings, films, and other forms of art that challenge more mainstream heteronormative narratives of gender and sexuality. We will end the course by examining how gender and sexuality have been transformed and continue to evolve through South Asian diasporas from the past and into our present.

We depend on a mix of direct student donations and supplemental donations to make all classes pay-what-you-can. Please pick the pricing tier that corresponds with your needs and that you are able to pay now. If you would like to pay in installments, make your first payment now and make a note on your check-out form. If you would like to donate more later in the term, you can always come back and use the “Make a One Time Donation” button! To use a full scholarship, just pick the $3 tier to cover site/processor fees. 

If at any point up to 48 hours before your first class session you realize you will be unable to take the class, we will work with you to reallocate your funds to a future class, to another student’s scholarship, or refund it. After classes begin, we are only able to make partial refunds and adjustments.