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With Respect to Sex: Negotiating Hijra Identity in South India
With Respect to Sex is an intimate ethnography that offers a provocative account of sexual and social difference in India. The subjects of this study are hijras or the "third sex" of India, individuals who occupy a unique, liminal space between male and female, sacred and profane. Hijras are men who sacrifice their genitalia to a goddess in return for the power to confer fertility on newlyweds and newborn children, a ritual role they are respected for, at the same time as they are stigmatized for their ambiguous sexuality. By focusing on the hijra community, Reddy sheds new light on Indian society and the intricate negotiations of identity across various domains of everyday life. Further, by reframing hijra identity through the local economy of respect, this ethnography highlights the complex relationships between local and global, sexual and moral, economies.
This book will be regarded as the definitive work on hijras, one that will be of enormous interest to anthropologists, students of South Asian culture, and specialists in gender, queer, and sexuality studies.
This book will be regarded as the definitive work on hijras, one that will be of enormous interest to anthropologists, students of South Asian culture, and specialists in gender, queer, and sexuality studies.
310 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
November 12, 2009
This is a difficult book to read. It is full of jargon, complex grammatical structures and foreign words not easily translated into English. In addition, the subject matter (hijras, the so-called third sex of India) lends itself to sensationalism in the hands of less skilled writers.
Kudos to Ms. Reddy for exhaustively studying a subject only recently studied in the West; namely, gender identification. For centuries, the Western view has been that there are only two sexes, and any other arrangement was considered deviancy.
In studying other cultures (in this instance South India) it is clear that many cultures do not share this view. Rather, in the Indian context, sexuality is part of an incredibly complex worldview involving social status, personal identity and religion.
The hijras -"neither man nor woman" - are persons who, from birth, identify with the goddess of fertility. They are not, strictly speaking, homosexual. The most devoted of them sacrifice their genitalia, believing this gives them more 'izzat', or respect, in their culture. Even today, when a child is born, families will call in hijras to bless the child, as it is believed that the hijras have special powers from the goddess to grant fertility.
A pervailing theme of this book is the multiplicity of existence in Indian culture. For example, some hijras believe to be 'true hijra' one must forsake sex; others are sex workers. The hijras ground themselves in the Hindu cosmology but consider themselves ethnically Muslim. They are considered to have special favor with the goddess of fertility; yet they engage in vulgar conflicts with nonhijras, such as displaying their privates in public to shame others into donating money. Hijras are both revered and scorned.
Even the title of the book is not what it appears. The book is not about sex. It is about sexuality in the context of cultural identification; and again, some hijras practice abstinence. Also, the word 'respect' refers to the Hindi word 'izzat', which refers to far more than the Western idea of respect. Rather, 'izzat' appears to encompass the idea that you are recognized for being in your proper place in the cosmos; that you must show izzat who occupy their proper position, and vice versa.
The book does have its failings. The writer's style, of necessity scholarly, sometimes becomes pedantic and obscure. The book would have benefitted from better editing (some introductory material appears scattered through the book) and the few photographs are of poor quality. But these are minor quibbles considering the quality of the scholarship.
This is complex book; but there is no way to simplify the subject matter without doing a disservice to the culture. This book is not for the easily titillated or the lazy. However, if you want to take a glimpse into a fascinating subculture of India, set aside your preconceived notions, open your mind, and you will learn of a complex world far removed from our own.
Kudos to Ms. Reddy for exhaustively studying a subject only recently studied in the West; namely, gender identification. For centuries, the Western view has been that there are only two sexes, and any other arrangement was considered deviancy.
In studying other cultures (in this instance South India) it is clear that many cultures do not share this view. Rather, in the Indian context, sexuality is part of an incredibly complex worldview involving social status, personal identity and religion.
The hijras -"neither man nor woman" - are persons who, from birth, identify with the goddess of fertility. They are not, strictly speaking, homosexual. The most devoted of them sacrifice their genitalia, believing this gives them more 'izzat', or respect, in their culture. Even today, when a child is born, families will call in hijras to bless the child, as it is believed that the hijras have special powers from the goddess to grant fertility.
A pervailing theme of this book is the multiplicity of existence in Indian culture. For example, some hijras believe to be 'true hijra' one must forsake sex; others are sex workers. The hijras ground themselves in the Hindu cosmology but consider themselves ethnically Muslim. They are considered to have special favor with the goddess of fertility; yet they engage in vulgar conflicts with nonhijras, such as displaying their privates in public to shame others into donating money. Hijras are both revered and scorned.
Even the title of the book is not what it appears. The book is not about sex. It is about sexuality in the context of cultural identification; and again, some hijras practice abstinence. Also, the word 'respect' refers to the Hindi word 'izzat', which refers to far more than the Western idea of respect. Rather, 'izzat' appears to encompass the idea that you are recognized for being in your proper place in the cosmos; that you must show izzat who occupy their proper position, and vice versa.
The book does have its failings. The writer's style, of necessity scholarly, sometimes becomes pedantic and obscure. The book would have benefitted from better editing (some introductory material appears scattered through the book) and the few photographs are of poor quality. But these are minor quibbles considering the quality of the scholarship.
This is complex book; but there is no way to simplify the subject matter without doing a disservice to the culture. This book is not for the easily titillated or the lazy. However, if you want to take a glimpse into a fascinating subculture of India, set aside your preconceived notions, open your mind, and you will learn of a complex world far removed from our own.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 13, 2011
Very interesting ethnography about the hijras of India, the so-called "third-sex". I was very fascinated in the subject as there isn't really a perfect analogy in Western culture for them. They are biological men who dress like women and perform various procedures to "unman" themselves (sometimes). Only they aren't really like drag queens or transvestites or what have you over here. They are a culturally endorsed group who self-identify as Muslim and yet pray to a Hindu goddess and perform various rituals at weddings and such, where they bestow fertility upon the new couple. Only their traditional cultural roles are quickly vanishing, leaving them to other means in order to survive. They are mostly looked down upon in society, and mothers often use the threat that the hijras will abduct you to keep their kids in line.
Anyway, interesting subject. Reddy's investigation is certainly not without its flaws though. She focuses her entire study on a very small and particularly marginalized group of hijras, and makes grand assumptions about all of the thousands of hijras in India off this small sample. She also quickly glosses over several potentially interesting subjects, like the validity of the hijras past, or the political power that the hijra community is supposedly gaining.
So, that's it. i doubt to many of you are gonna read it, not exactly something you just pick up and read for the heck of it. It is pretty boring in parts. I'm impressed you even read this. How are you?
Anyway, interesting subject. Reddy's investigation is certainly not without its flaws though. She focuses her entire study on a very small and particularly marginalized group of hijras, and makes grand assumptions about all of the thousands of hijras in India off this small sample. She also quickly glosses over several potentially interesting subjects, like the validity of the hijras past, or the political power that the hijra community is supposedly gaining.
So, that's it. i doubt to many of you are gonna read it, not exactly something you just pick up and read for the heck of it. It is pretty boring in parts. I'm impressed you even read this. How are you?
November 1, 2013
This is one of the most recent ethnographies of hijras, defined as "phenotypic men who wear female clothing, and ideally, renounce sexual desire and practice by undergoing a sacrificial [and surgical] emasculation." While quite often repetitive, narratively flat, and minimally theoretical, Reddy's work provides rich data and a is worthy, though not entirely successful, attempt at an intersectional analysis of hijra identity that takes in more than simply gender and sexual identity, but also kinship, religion, social class, and hierarchies of respect.
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April 7, 2017I was reading this book for my project research and I must say this is very interesting and realistic ethnography that I read related to this subject. I like the way author had traced the origins of the Hijaras and told us about both and bad about days. Before reading this book I had a pre-notion that this community has always been subjected to discrimination and never been respected but in this book I got to know that there were times when this section of society was also respected and enjoyed glorious days. This was a great help to me for my project and this book is an eye- opener. Through this boo I got to know that these people also have a structural mechanism through which they function and they also hold a lot of values and morales in their community which is very appreciable. I must recommend this book to all for pleasure reading as well as for people who are curious and interested to know about this neglected strata of the society.
September 11, 2013
gayatri reddy is the shit.
June 27, 2020
It is rarely that I enjoy academic writing but this book was surprisingly easy to follow and exceptionally engaging. As a person not very familiar with Indian culture, and not extremely interested in gender studies, this book had managed to grasp my attention throughout despite.
In awe of Reddy's interaction with participants and ability to covey their message without taking their voices away which so often is a problem in anthropological research. Never thought an academic piece of work would make me cry, but it managed to do that as well.
Definitely a surprisingly good read.
In awe of Reddy's interaction with participants and ability to covey their message without taking their voices away which so often is a problem in anthropological research. Never thought an academic piece of work would make me cry, but it managed to do that as well.
Definitely a surprisingly good read.
March 15, 2019
Fascinating, nuanced, and moving.
December 7, 2022
Read for class was ok.
January 20, 2024
This was probably my favorite book we read in my gender/sexuality in religion class. Definitely the most unique and interesting study we read, that enlightened me the most. Super cool stuff
May 8, 2024
One of the best ethnographic works! This is how it should be done.
November 12, 2015
I was supposed to read this for class last year (Anth 310) and then it was assigned for another class this year (Hist 333) so I read it this time around. I really like it. I think some parts are unnecessary and some are very much too in depth, but what are you to expect when you are reading a person's dissertation?
It's well written, well researched, and the anthropology was well done. Reddy has a wide source of informants and she discusses as many perspectives as she can while still having a concentrated piece. I also think that she was right in explaining why her book was necessary, because that made me (the reader) understand what she was talking about instead of immediately assuming that hijras were all about sex or gender like one would typically assume with a book like this. If it hadn't of been so clearly written out for me, I probably would have wondered why she felt the need to include so many different sections but the clarification made it clear what purpose they were there for.
I don't think that this is a necessary read for anyone, but it is definitely an interesting one.
(PSA: Technically I think there's still a chapter I haven't read. Oops.)
It's well written, well researched, and the anthropology was well done. Reddy has a wide source of informants and she discusses as many perspectives as she can while still having a concentrated piece. I also think that she was right in explaining why her book was necessary, because that made me (the reader) understand what she was talking about instead of immediately assuming that hijras were all about sex or gender like one would typically assume with a book like this. If it hadn't of been so clearly written out for me, I probably would have wondered why she felt the need to include so many different sections but the clarification made it clear what purpose they were there for.
I don't think that this is a necessary read for anyone, but it is definitely an interesting one.
(PSA: Technically I think there's still a chapter I haven't read. Oops.)
February 6, 2009
Complex and interesting ethnography of the multiple facets of hijra identities.
August 19, 2009
This book is definitely an eye-opener. It's a very informative ethnography that's impossible to put down. It's probably the only ethnography that I'd recommend for pleasure reading!
January 23, 2013
One of the best ethnographies I have read recently.
October 14, 2014
lush.
October 16, 2023
Read as part of research for an Asian Religions class.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews