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.