The Sexualized Other:
A Symposium on Asian Sexuality and Gender Identity

Oberlin Shansi, the Multicultural Resource Center and the Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies Program (GSFS) hosted a symposium from October 10-13 on the campus of Oberlin College. The symposium explored issues of sexuality and gender identity within Asia and the Asian diaspora, focusing specifically on South Asia, the Middle East, and the Philippines. Over five sessions, visiting guest speakers and Oberlin faculty discussed how sexuality and gender are both framed and treated within Asia both historically and in the present, as well as the sometimes fuzzy lines of what is deemed acceptable and unacceptable, “normal” or deviant within these communities. Through panels and lectures, the symposium delved deeper into the ways that issues of power, patriarchy, imperialism, citizenship, and transnationalism complicate notions of sexual normalcy and identity.

The program began with a Keynote address by Joseph Massad, Associate Professor of Modern Arab Politics and Intellectual History at Columbia University. His talk, entitled, “Conjunctive Prepositions: Sexuality and Islam” addressed recent literature on Islam and sexuality. During the weekend Professor Massad also participated in a panel discussion entitled “How Not to Study Gender in the Arab World: A Response to Benny Morris” with Oberlin faculty members, Zeinab Abul-Magd, Assistant Professor of History and Kara Thompson, Visiting Professor of Comparative American Studies as well as two Oberlin students.

Two other panel presentations gave opportunities for Oberlin faculty to engage with the visiting speakers. Jasbir Puar, Associate Professor of Women and Gender Studies at Rutgers University, led a discussion with Oberlin faculty members Kara Thompson, Kazim Ali, Assistant Professor of Creative Writing, and Meredith Raimondo, Associate Professor of Comparative American Studies, that examined different case studies using Professor Puar’s theoretical frameworks. Anjali Arondekar, Associate Professor of Feminist Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz led a panel discussion entitled “Archival Attachments: On Sexuality and Historiography” with Oberlin faculty members Wendy Kozol, Professor of Comparative American Studies and Pablo Mitchell, Associate Professor of History as well as Oberlin students.

Closing out the weekend was a public lecture by Martin Manalansan, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. The lecture entitled “Servicing the World: Care Labor and the Filipino Queer Diaspora” examined the plight of Filipino gay and transgendered care workers in Israel and other parts of the world.

All of the events were extremely well-attended, filling spaces such as King 106, Wilder 101, and Hallock Auditorium with excited and attentive faculty, staff, and students from different disciplines. The events also stirred up spirited discussion and debate, but more than anything exposed attendees to new modes of thinking regarding sexuality, gender identity, and Asia. Overall, the symposium was a smash and yet another successful collaboration between Oberlin Shansi and Oberlin College.