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Papers by Madhusudan Rao

Homosexuality has been a taboo in several parts of the world and continues to be so despite the v... more Homosexuality has been a taboo in several parts of the world and continues to be so despite the vast changes that have revolutionized the lives of LGBTQIA+ community. But the question is, was it always a taboo? Were the classical societies ignorant of homosexuality? Or were they so accepting of it? Did they recognize and classify different sexual orientations? What was love between two individuals of the same gender like? This paper attempts to explore the nuances of homosexuality in ancient Greece with reference to Madeline Miller's The Song of Achilles. With the theoretical framework of Foucault's theory of sexuality, it aims to dissect the factors of homosexuality in ancient Greece, their ways of perceiving it, along with the character analysis of the protagonists in terms of masculinity and femininity. Understanding the notions of the fluid nature of gender and sexuality through retellings of classics like The Song of Achilles diversifies the readers' relationship to literatures in being sensitive to queer community today.

Thesis Chapters by Madhusudan Rao

Despite the vast advancement and progress made in the Indian mind-set, very little academic or no... more Despite the vast advancement and progress made in the Indian mind-set, very little academic or non- academic discussions have been made of LGBTQ creative writings as compared to Feminist, Dalit, and Marxist literary works. And, as far as the society is concerned, there is a misplaced consumption of the concept of Normativity, be it in terms of Religion, Race, class, or Sexuality. However, race, religion and class have undergone significant changes in India presenting a progressive society, but the Indian society still finds it difficult to accept identity based on sexuality. This dissertation examines the gay sub- culture in India with reference to two novels The boyfriend and Hostel Room 131 written by R. Raj Rao who is an open gay for the last forty years. Under the conceptual framework of Queer Studies, this work examines and attempts to gain answers to questions such as, how gay men find their love and sexual partners as their lives are so very closeted?, how gay men identify themselves in their sexual and love relationships?, how gay relationships are affected by a society that is governed by a “normative” attitude?, what really goes on in gay men's lives? How closeted and miserable are their lives and how this in turn affects women in India.

India is yet to develop its own queer theory; still a lot of it is drawn from the west. Therefore, by closely reading the works of R. Raj Rao who, Hoshang Merchant said, is India’s first and only gay theorist worth reading, this work, focusing on the concepts of Identity and Normativity, is an initial step in broadening our knowledge about the gay sub culture in India, helping us to open to alternative sexualities and thereby have an inclusive society.
Key Terms: Queer; LGBT; Gay Subculture; Identity; Normativity;

Homosexuality has been a taboo in several parts of the world and continues to be so despite the v... more Homosexuality has been a taboo in several parts of the world and continues to be so despite the vast changes that have revolutionized the lives of LGBTQIA+ community. But the question is, was it always a taboo? Were the classical societies ignorant of homosexuality? Or were they so accepting of it? Did they recognize and classify different sexual orientations? What was love between two individuals of the same gender like? This paper attempts to explore the nuances of homosexuality in ancient Greece with reference to Madeline Miller's The Song of Achilles. With the theoretical framework of Foucault's theory of sexuality, it aims to dissect the factors of homosexuality in ancient Greece, their ways of perceiving it, along with the character analysis of the protagonists in terms of masculinity and femininity. Understanding the notions of the fluid nature of gender and sexuality through retellings of classics like The Song of Achilles diversifies the readers' relationship to literatures in being sensitive to queer community today.

Despite the vast advancement and progress made in the Indian mind-set, very little academic or no... more Despite the vast advancement and progress made in the Indian mind-set, very little academic or non- academic discussions have been made of LGBTQ creative writings as compared to Feminist, Dalit, and Marxist literary works. And, as far as the society is concerned, there is a misplaced consumption of the concept of Normativity, be it in terms of Religion, Race, class, or Sexuality. However, race, religion and class have undergone significant changes in India presenting a progressive society, but the Indian society still finds it difficult to accept identity based on sexuality. This dissertation examines the gay sub- culture in India with reference to two novels The boyfriend and Hostel Room 131 written by R. Raj Rao who is an open gay for the last forty years. Under the conceptual framework of Queer Studies, this work examines and attempts to gain answers to questions such as, how gay men find their love and sexual partners as their lives are so very closeted?, how gay men identify themselves in their sexual and love relationships?, how gay relationships are affected by a society that is governed by a “normative” attitude?, what really goes on in gay men's lives? How closeted and miserable are their lives and how this in turn affects women in India.

India is yet to develop its own queer theory; still a lot of it is drawn from the west. Therefore, by closely reading the works of R. Raj Rao who, Hoshang Merchant said, is India’s first and only gay theorist worth reading, this work, focusing on the concepts of Identity and Normativity, is an initial step in broadening our knowledge about the gay sub culture in India, helping us to open to alternative sexualities and thereby have an inclusive society.
Key Terms: Queer; LGBT; Gay Subculture; Identity; Normativity;