Queer Diasporic Reading of Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla's Novel Ode to Lata

Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla’s Ode to Lata (2002) is a seminal work in queer diasporic literature, exploring the intersections of migration, sexuality, and cultural identity through the life of Ali, a Queer Indian- Kenyan immigrant in Los Angeles. The proposed paper conducts Queer Diasporic reading of the novel, analyzing how Ali’s displacement—both geographical and psychological—shapes his negotiation of desire, belonging, and selfhood. The novel grapples with the intersections of race, sexuality, nostalgia and gender, portraying how societal prejudices impact Ali’s sense of self. Drawing on theories of Diaspora (Avtar Brah, Stuart Hall) and Queer of Color Critique (José Esteban Muñoz, Gayatri Gopinath), this study examines the way Dhalla’s novel challenges heteronormative and nationalist narratives while articulating a distinctly queer South Asian diasporic subjectivity.