| Summary/Abstract |
In this article, we explore the duality and performativity of bodies as they move through multiple social, sexual and fiscal economies of Kolkata. We offer the story of Sonia, a middle-aged feminine man, who despite a number of obstacles within his family, experiments with a range of sexual identities, and in the process challenges the notion of conformist heteronormative trajectories in the city. Our second character, Nirmala, works as a commercial surrogate in Kolkata. Nirmala's story shows how the cultural script of the pregnant body, associated with heterosexual intercourse and motherhood, is defied by the renting of wombs for profit within the assisted reproductive sector in the city. The personal accounts of Sonia and Nirmala eventually tell a story of Kolkata itself. They underline its transition from older post/colonial economies towards neoliberal aspirations and gendered freedoms. These processes of change remain imprinted in the rebellious, unorthodox bodies of ordinary citizens.
|