Queer Activism in India: A Story in the Anthropology of Ethics

“The exciting aspect of this book is how Dave draws on the everyday practices of queer activism, in particular lesbian activism in India, to expose the deeply considered and ethical positions that they take. . . . Dave’s book marks a significant contribution to the archive of queer scholarship generally, but more importantly to making visible a postcolonial perspective in this scholarship.” — Ratna Kapur ― Journal of Anthropological Research

“Naisargi Dave’s book on queer activism in India offers something new and valuable. A book-length account of the queer political landscape with a focus on lesbian activism, this study is distinctive both for its longer temporal view and for the productively ambivalent positionality of its author.” — Rahul Rao ― International Dialogue

“Dave’s is a fascinating study, so rich and detailed in its intimate telling of the textures of everyday activism that one is absorbed as if reading a novel.” — Srila Roy ― Antipode

“While shedding light on the myriad challenges to the achievement of sexual rights and justice, Dave ultimately paints a portrait of radical possibility where the affective, the material, and the political effects of activism cannot be predetermined.” — Amy Bhatt ― Signs

“Dave’s book, with its anecdotes, observations, and rich endnotes, will no doubt add to our understanding of urban lesbian activism while compelling us to reflect about methods and ethics in the age of “affect.”” — Shohini Ghosh ― Journal of Asian Studies

“A more nuanced understanding of the ethical convictions that motivates ordinary individuals to join a movement, to become activists, to go on acting primarily in their own interests but also in the interests of others like them, can only be gained by a complete reading of this richly textured ethnography.” — Harjant Gill ― Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute