Ashoka University’s Centre for Studies in Gender and Sexuality (CSGS) has launched a one-of-a-kind research fellowship programme for emerging trans* scholars in India. 

Named ‘Transformative Arts and Research Initiatives Fellowship’ (TAARIF), it aims to advance cutting-edge academic research in the field of gender and sexuality, given the existing dearth of India-focused substantive works in the field today. It would create a space for selected fellows to examine areas like arts and policy, or law and society, from a trans perspective.

“TAARIF is an important step in this direction, providing a platform to emerging trans* scholars to contribute to the existing body of research in areas like diversity of gender, sex, sexuality, embodiment, and identity, in ways that have hitherto not been adequately addressed by Indian feminist and queer scholarship”, said Prof. Madhavi Menon, Director, CSGS, Ashoka University.

The selected fellows would undertake research in a four month long programme, and would be provided with an all-inclusive stipend of Rs. 50,000. The fellowship would be for the period spanning April 1 to July 31, 2023, where the first two-months would be focused on conducting primary research and the second two-months on writing a research paper.

The fellows would also be expected to attend online mentoring workshops and engage in regular conversations about research work to develop relevant skills for their projects. Their research papers would be eventually published as part of a special issue of Qurbatein, a gender and sexuality bi-annual by the CSGS. Additionally, the Centre will organize fortnightly conversations with scholars and activists working in the field of trans* studies who can provide additional insight for the fellows’ research areas.