Reading “Queer” identities: pedagogical notes from the field

In this paper, the author presents a pedagogical insight of conducting a detailed exploratory study through methodological departures within the subjective boundaries of a specific field. The work is based upon inferences drawn from the study of “queer” identities in an urban but inherently parochial setting of a postcolonial city – Kolkata. The paper attempts to map and chart the various aspects of conducting qualitative research in a relatively unexplored area, with rapidly evolving socio-cultural values and systems of identity formation. The paper charts out the experiences from the field, while dealing with both the apparent and the esoteric, with objective and empirical evidence to support the arguments presented herein.