A true study of the history of the subcontinent would reveal that resistance has taken many forms – as movements, as subcultures, and even as individual acts of agency. Unfortunately, we do not have a sufficient written record of our struggle against the deep injustice of caste and brahmanical patriarchy, because historiography has long been hegemonised by the dominant castes, as part of their almost absolute control over knowledge production. 

Over time, entire movements against brahmanism have been erased or co-opted, their anti-caste thrust obscured by the propaganda of the dominant castes. Examples of these lie all over the subcontinent, whether it be the Bhakti movement, the Dravidian movement, or the revolutionary origin of Buddhism itself. Within this history, the stories of those who exist on the margins of both caste, gender and sexuality, whose identities do not fit strictly into structures and binaries, have further been lost. It is important that we remember the legacies of our queer and trans ancestors, and of women from marginalised castes, that have made our living possible.  

To this day, caste continues to propagate within both the queer and feminist movements in India. Debrahmanising Gender is an attempt to excavate our histories as well as write about our present, while maintaining ownership of our work. We are inspired by the sheer vastness of the subject, and of the possibilities of combining Ambedkarite, anti-caste thought with queer theory, gender abolition, transformative justice and the diverse politics of our bodies. We want to document stories of our existence and resistance, and commit to reimagining our world as we would like to see it.

Who can apply

You must belong to a marginalised caste and/or tribal community (of any religion) and while we urge queer, trans and non-binary people to apply, we also understand that not everyone has the privilege to be open about these parts of their identity. We will also maintain anonymity on all our public platforms if the creator wishes to not reveal their name.

Our selection criteria are loose and we do not value academic scholarship as much work informed by your history and lived experiences, presented in new and creative ways. 

We do not require you to have prior published work, as we encourage new artists and writers. But you must send us art and writing examples that may be unpublished and works in progress as writing samples/references for your style.