Transgender Belonging in Manipur

This book examines the identity and belonging of the nupi maanbi community, an indigenous transgender group in Manipur, India. It explores how Manipuri society, particularly the Meitei community, maintains cultural practices that transgress binary gender norms, tracing the historical emergence of nupi maanbi identity through power dynamics, gender inequality, and resistance. It also: - Examines the identity and belonging of the indigenous nupi maanbi community within Manipuri society in Northeast India, particularly among the Meitei people. - Explores cultural practices that challenge binary gender classifications and demonstrates how different cultures maintain their own traditions of gender plurality. - Traces the historical emergence of nupi maanbi identity through the lens of power dynamics, gender inequality, and resistance movements in India. - Analyzes questions of acceptance, recognition, and tolerance of nupi maanbi within contemporary Manipuri society and their implications for broader transgender belonging in India. - Investigates the boundaries and politics of belonging as they relate to indigenous transgender identities in Northeast India. This title has been co-published with Knowledge World Publishers. T&F does not sell or distribute the print versions in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri lanka.

Shamjetshabam Babeena Chanu is Assistant Professor in the Department of South East Asian Studies at Manipur University, India. She previously served as Junior Research Fellow at Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies, Kolkata, India. She holds a doctoral degree in Political Science from the Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India. Her research interests include citizenship studies, gender studies, and Southeast Asian studies.

Acknowledgements 1. Introduction 2. Transgender Identity and Belonging 3. Belonging of Nupi Maanbi in Manipur 4. Nupi Maanbi Community in Contemporary Manipur: Boundaries and Belonging 5. Concluding Remarks