Decolonization of Gender and Sexuality: Exploring the Stories of Discrimination, Marginalisation, Resistance, and Resilience in the Communities of Khawaja Sara and Hijra in Pakistan

Abstract

This chapter draws attention on the different ways of colonisation, Islamisation and the decolonization of gender and sexuality amongst the transgender communities called Khawaja Sara and Hijra in contemporary Pakistan. The literature describes that during British colonialism the communities of Khawaja Sara and Hijra have been regulated and they were declared criminals with Criminal Tribal Act and Section-377, that produced rigorous repercussion on the living life of trans folks in colonial, postcolonial and contemporary periods. They are now and then were discriminated, oppressed, and marginalised, but this was not the case in precolonial periods where their lives were considered honourable, and they were given respectable positions in the Mughal Harems and other princely palaces. To investigate the contemporary marginalisation and then the survival practices of Khawaja Sara and Hijra as decolonial practice, this chapter engages with 10 members from Khawaja Sara and Hijra communities in a face-to-face direct interview and 04 photovoice interviews in Peshawar city. The findings highlight that Khawaja Sara and Hijra communities has the capacity to resist against the colonised and Islamised policies and to advocate for their rights and to get their voices heard across in their communities. This process is named as the decolonization of gender and sexuality in contemporary Pakistan.

“I would prefer to be dead than to live this way”: Lived experiences of stigma and discrimination against khwaja sira in Swat, Pakistan

“…In precolonial South Asia, khwaja sira were highly respected, particularly in the Mughal era, where they held significant responsibilities in the royal courts and harems (Alamgir, 2022 ; Sher et al, 2022 ), including roles as advisors and performers. For example, in the early 14th century, Sultan Alaud-din Khilgi appointed a khwaja sira, Malik Kafur, as the Grand Wazir, the effective head of government, and later as the Commander-in-Chief of his army (Junejo, 1994 ; Gugler, 2011 ).…”

“…In precolonial South Asia, khwaja sira were highly respected, particularly in the Mughal era, where they held significant responsibilities in the royal courts and harems (Alamgir, 2022;Sher et al, 2022), including roles as advisors and performers. For example, in the early 14th century,…”

“…Other labels for third gender people in South Asia include khusra, jhanka, zenana, murat, and kinnar. The term murat combines the words mard (meaning man in Urdu) with the word aurat (meaning woman in Urdu), but carries a pejorative connotation.In precolonial South Asia, khwaja sira were highly respected, particularly in the Mughal era, where they held significant responsibilities in the royal courts and harems (Alamgir, 2022;Sher et al, 2022), including roles as advisors and performers. For example, in the early 14th century,…”