Disasters and the “Other Gender”: Exploring the Experiences of the Hijra Community in Disasters in India

Abstract

The binary representation of gender categories has dominated the disaster scholarship. This Western understanding has often overlooked the contextual realities across different societies and been imposed on the rest of the world. The synonymous use of “gender” and “women” has resulted in normative policies which reduce gender to a demographic variable, excluding those who do not fit into the heteronormative categories. Consequently, limited work is done that provides in-depth analyses of the experiences of gender diverse groups in disasters. The hijra community is one such group that has faced the consequences of this interpretation. This qualitative research is a critical ethnography that delves into the lives of one hijra group in Odisha, India and explores their experiences of a cyclone, Fani. It investigates the cyclone’s differential impacts and the social processes that lead to them. It further looks at the role of inclusive policies in influencing disaster risk governance for diverse gender identities. Seventeen in-depth interviews were conducted in Puri city, mainly including hijras, alongside a few government officials, NGO staff and academic professionals. Participant observation and use of secondary data sources were also done. The findings highlight that disasters are an extension of the everyday lives of hijras. Their conceptualisation of disasters is linked with crises in their daily lives. These are linked with inaccessibility to education, shelter, employment and other basic services. They were devastated by Cyclone Fani and were also largely left out of response mechanisms. However, they still showcased their agency by contributing to relief processes. One of the main reasons for their ‘othering’ in society is due to the colonial narratives about hijras, which contributes to their vulnerability to hazards and controls their access to resources. This study sheds light on the importance of history and context in understanding ‘difference’ within the broader gender and disaster discourses. It moves beyond the perception of vulnerable groups like hijras as ‘victims’, highlighting their agency. Setting the socio-cultural and political conditions against the environmental factors, this research unpacks the broad categories of the ‘vulnerable’ beyond its Western understanding, aiming towards more gender sensitive and inclusive disaster risk reduction.