Two scholars discuss homonationalism and assemblages

The online journal, Sanhati, has an interesting exchange on homonationalism and LGBT activism in India between two US-based scholars of Indian origin.  They share with readers their understanding of some key issues raised by Jasbir Puar in her book Terrorist Assemblages:  Homonationalism in Queer Times (Duke UP, 2007) which focuses on specific assemblages in the contemporary US public sphere.  I find the exchange useful at many different levels.  Although it takes some familiarity with Puar’s work for granted, the exchange also amplifies the political/activist context of the book as the scholars discuss parallels in the Indian situation.  The exchange makes us think about many issues that we take for granted, such as the ways in which desires are shaped by the media and by specific articulations and recognitions of specific forms of desire in our transnational and neoliberal times which Puar has labeled “queer times,” and–among a host of other questions it raises–one may wonder whether “queer politics” is an emergent form of politics capable of bringing together more diverse groups than before.