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- Convenors:
-
Indrani Mukherjee
(Indian Anthropological Association)
Abhinav Sen (university of Leeds)
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- Discussant:
-
Subhadra Channa
(Delhi University)
- Format:
- Panel
- Location:
- 9 University Square (UQ), 01/006
- Sessions:
- Wednesday 27 July, -
Time zone: Europe/London
Short Abstract:
The panel explores researches on the spectrum of gendered realities in the virtual space and their interplay, ranging from the ungendered to gender fluid/transitional; to gender related constructs, solidarities, biases/toxicity; to gender performativity and gender continuities of the physical space.
Long Abstract:
Gender translates in the virtual space into dynamic realities, based on its participants, audiences; intra-action and interaction; inclusions and exclusions; activities and practices related to usage; social arrangements and organisational forms surrounding usage; and so on. The participation which is otherwise devoid of a physical form provides for explorations in terms of identities that are beyond normative, and might be gender fluid or transitional. Inspite of this the participation is not outside of the socio/cultural/political backdrop of the participants themselves, and the associated materiality includes related gender constructs, solidarities, affirmative action, stereotypes, biases, and toxicity. At one end is a possibility of the creation of forms devoid of gendered embodiment, while at the other end one finds continuities and reproduction of the gender dynamics of the physical world. Gender performativity as a continuation between the physical and virtual space makes for an equally interesting area of exploration. These gendered nuances are in interplay with each other as well as myriad of activities within the virtual space. The panel thus attempts to create a platform for dialogue between research and research experiences in this area, which is still limited due to the sheer expanse of the virtual space, creating possibilities and opportunities for enhancement of learnings.
Accepted papers:
Session 1 Wednesday 27 July, 2022, -Indrani Mukherjee (Indian Anthropological Association)
Paper short abstract:
Reflecting on the use of a women’s WhatsApp group as an ethnographic space, the research explores the continuity between the physical space and the virtual space of a gated community of Gurgaon, India, with special reference to women’s initiative during Covid-19.
Paper long abstract:
Gated community is a term that refers to a physical area that is fenced or walled off from its surroundings [Landman, 2000], they are closed urban residential areas where public space is legally privatized and access becomes restricted with different level of security, special life style, and residents with the same socio-economic class. The Covid-19 pandemic brought a scenario where the very wall that was raised for protection and security became the walls for confinement, restricting flow of individuals and resources not only from the outside to the inside of the community, but also within it and outwards. The present paper reflects on the initiatives of women in this state of adversity.
In the beginning of 2020 when the first wave of covid-19 hit and subsequently during lockdown, which restricted physical interaction even between neighbours, a woman’s WhatsApp group became a crucial support system in light of the crisis. The present paper uses research experience from within this WhatsApp group, as an ethnographic space, to understand its continuity with the physical space through the various waves of the pandemic. It looks at how the virtual space emulates the physical space in terms of interactions, with the additional benefit of being a rich source of information with time-stamped archival data, well documented processual events, rich in narratives and real-time experiences. The present paper looks specifically at initiatives around the covid-19 crisis and brings forth the realities of solidarity and nurturing, within the community and beyond.
Alice Gaya (Ben-Gurion University of the Negev)
Paper short abstract:
Ethical and gender dilemmas in ethnography that combines technological tools: a reflection on my participation as a researcher in the WhatsApp group of Jewish women who married Muslim men in Israel.
Paper long abstract:
Ethical dilemmas are an integral part of ethnographic research, as researchers, we make decisions based on the moral values of general society and the few rules the university dictates. There are research fields where the complexity of the research field makes it very difficult to decide on these dilemmas. In this paper, I will present the complexity of the field of research on mixed families in Israel as a conflict society. I will focus on the complexity of the lives of Jewish women who married Muslims -they were perceived as enemies to the general Jewish society. Therefore, these women often hide their Jewish identity and/or their Muslim husband. This context creates complex dilemmas for me as a researcher in the field of mixed families. In addition, I will show how participation in the WhatsApp group affects women and adds to the ethical and gender dilemmas that arise from the field of research.
Leah Junck (University of Cape Town)
Paper short abstract:
Tinder dating in Cape Town (South Africa) is both: reinforcing rigid identities and embraced as a space for emancipation and agency. This ethnographic study looks at the coexistence of different experiences, imaginations and discursive formations when it comes to technologies like Tinder.
Paper long abstract:
Digitisation processes tend to be seen as instigators of dramatic change, wrongfully attributing autonomy to technologies and distracting from how humans both draw on established repertoires and expand on them. My research urges for examinations of digital technologies that are more nuanced and capture their ambiguities by looking at how they become integrated into everyday life. In this spirit, I followed the dating journeys of 25 Tinder users in Cape Town (South Africa) for two years, considering the extent to which the dating application (app) offers a space for emancipation and agency - and how it may reinforce rigid identities. I found Tinder to be embraced as a tool with potential for new imaginations, including the transgression of certain embodied gendered/racialised/classed roles. At the same time, it was considered limiting and thought to produce encounters that are ‘less authentic’ than other modes of relating. With frustrations accumulating, the app would frequently be deleted, just to be downloaded again. Approaches to using it would change each time. Tinder users were faced with unitary understandings of the self at different intersections of dating, notably also through the set-up of the app itself. These then became manoeuvred in the form of a dance with only some basic steps providing guidance. The continuous use of Tinder in searching for desire and meaning despite frustrations and frequent deletions of the app can be interpreted as a rejection of what the app portrays as unequivocal identities.
Saptarshi Bairagi (University of Delhi)
Paper short abstract:
Through experiential cyber-ethnography, I will try to describe the formation of queer identities in India. Also, I will be queering the methodology of ethnographical research to describe the experiences of intersectional trans queer people in the cyber world through the lens of intersectionality.
Paper long abstract:
Cyber and digital media play an important role to construct the subaltern intersectional queer identities and culture. Not only gender identity but sexuality is also influenced by the virtual world. Social media such as Facebook and Grindr become an important medium to represent cyber-sexual culture among the subaltern queer community. Furthermore, this performative gender and sexuality empowered the queers to raise their voices through digital media, which leads the cross-border movement in Bengal. The queer movements started to be visible in India in 1999 with the Kolkata Friendship walk, primarily to oppose the hetero-patriarchy. Apart from the patriarchy, the Indian society has caste as its oppressive system. In contemporary India, sects of queer people, like "Hindu Queer Alliance", "S.W.A.G", etc are trying to emerge in Savarna queer community with the right-wing ideology, by demolishing the marginalised queer existence, such as Dalit, Adivasi, and Muslim queers.
To understand all these intersectional LGBTQ issues, and to conduct the queer feminist ethnography, we need to go beyond the conventional methodologies. In experiential-netnography, the researcher becomes a character in their research, which provides a reflexive emotionality in the research. This present paper will try to show the structure of intersectionality, caste and patriarchy and the emergence of Brahminism in urban and cyberspaces from the queer eye. I will try to narrate the situations of the Dalit-trans-queer persons' in contemporary urban and cyberspace, through visual narratives. Furthermore, I will describe some grounded concepts, such as, "Gaytiarcy", "Trans Exclusionary Radical Binary Transgender or TERBT", "Trans-Patriarchy", etc.