The Invisibles: A Tale of the Eunuchs of India [Paperback]

Zia Jaffrey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 17, 1998

In this superb work of investigative reporting, Zia Jaffrey pursues the riddle of India's most elusive subculture, the cross-dressing and often-castrated figures known as "hijras" whose very name means neither male nor female. Are the hijras lucky or dangerous? Are they a nurturing community of outcasts or a criminal network that kidnaps and mutilates recruits? Do they number in the thousands or in the millions? As she talks with policemen, a unionizer of eunuchs, and with the hijras themselves, Jaffrey unravels veils of rumor and deception to locate the nature of our sexual and social thresholds, and the people who dwell on them. Deeply resonant, uniquely insightful, The Invisibles is an enthralling work.



"A magnificent journey. Jaffrey writes about this fascinating and delicate subject with human understanding and warmth."--Ryszard Kapuscinski


"Sensitively written...eloquent...and compassionate."--New York Times Book Review

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Zia Jaffrey, daughter of the well-known Indian food writer Madhur Jaffrey and heir to a hybrid Indian-American culture, found herself fascinated on a visit to India by a separate and extraordinary caste--the hijras, or eunuchs, castrati who dress as women and live together. Empathizing with their sense of otherness, she pursued the story of their semi-secret existence. The hijras have a long tradition in India, yet are regarded with great ambiguity. On the one hand they are invited to attend weddings and births and thought to bring good luck despite their crude behavior, bawdy jokes, and bad singing. On the other hand, there is much fearful speculation as to how they perpetuate their caste--some allege the abduction and castration of little boys. Jaffrey sensitively investigates these mysteries. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Freelance writer Jaffrey, an American of Indian extraction, traveled throughout India to study eunuchs, or "hijras." The subculture of castrated males has existed in India for centuries, owing to their outcast status and the tendency of government officials to discourage inquiries, but their living arrangements, social structure and actual numbers are difficult to verify. Jaffrey provides a wealth of previous research, including folklore regarding hijras' activities, as well as details of the interesting but inconclusive interviews she conducted with hijras living in India today. Although those she interviewed acknowledge that they arrive unasked to bring good luck by singing and dancing at weddings and celebrations for newborns, other questions regarding castration ceremonies, prostitution, religious practices and hierarchical organization elicited elusive and contradictory responses. This study intrigues rather than enlightens. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 316 pages
• Publisher: Vintage (February 17, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067974228X
• ISBN-13: 978-0679742289
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,672,794 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful book by a talented scholar, March 30, 2005

By 

E. L. Sutor (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Invisibles: A Tale of the Eunuchs of India (Paperback)

Some of these other reviews make me laugh. Would it be better had Jaffrey assumed the role of cultural anthropologist ala Serena Nanda and written an "anthropological" treatise on the role of hijras in Indian culture, their meaning, their context, blah blah blah? No. She presumes nothing and gets closer to the "other" than Nanda ever did. Nanda doesn't even scratch the surface, she just has the prestige associated with anthropologists who go there first, meet these people first, get the reality behind the actual life of some relative cultural oddity. Nanda's book is full of conjecture and Western psychology. She includes next to nothing about the long history of eunuchs in Muslim culture- hmm, wonder why hijras exist in the north of India and not so much in the south? She never even goes over the etymology of the term hijra. Jaffrey assumes nothing and writes an utterly honest, genuine book from the standpoint of human. Her book is incredibly informative, though lacking in some respects- more theoretical discussion of gender would have been interesting.

I don't mean to knock Nanda too much, but her book is lacking personality compared to Jaffrey's, and after twelve straight hours of research- much of it concerning the development and history of hijras in Muslim culture- I'm entitled to complain. Like it or not, Jaffrey embodies the new form of ethnography. I'm giving it five stars to make up for some other reviewers.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Invisibles -- an Investigation into the World of Eunichs, March 13, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Invisibles: A Tale of the Eunuchs of India (Hardcover)

The Invisibles was an extremely enjoyable and educational look at a topic rarely even discussed in Indian society. "Hijras" are a common sight in most major cities of India and they occupy a place in society where they are both feared and detested. Ms. Jaffrey has a lively writing style that makes for a story that is both informative and enjoyable. However,the task of dealing with a topic on which there is very little prior research is daunting, and Ms. Jaffrey's story sometimes wanders into too many directions. What she provides is an excellent snapshot of some specific "hijra" groups, and an overview of a very complex social system within the larger complex social system of India.

9 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Interesting subject, Poor Book, April 18, 2000

By 

Allison Motto - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Invisibles: A Tale of the Eunuchs of India (Paperback)

I was very interested when I heard the subject of this book. The eunuchs of India is a subject that very little has been written about. This book promised to tell about this "invisible" group. Instead I kept reading the author's story of her dificulties in finding any infomation only to find the book end without almost any information being found. This was disapointing especially since the story was hard to follow and I only managed to follow it in hopes of finding an in depth look at this fascinating group. I hope that one day another researcher will write the book that this author promises the reader and then never achieves. In the end this book would be better as an introduction for further studies than a book on its own.