PADINI NIRMAL – QUEERING RESISTANCE, QUEERING RESEARCH: 167 Queering Resistance, Queering Research: In Search of a Queer Decolonial Feminist Understanding of Adivasi Indigeneity 1 Padini Nirmal Clark University, US Abstract In this paper, I place both the methodological and epistemological realms of my doctoral research with the Adivasis (indigenous peoples) of Attappady, Kerala under a queer decolonial feminist lens in order to better understand the nature of contemporary Adivasi indigeneity, and indigenous resistance. Given Kerala’s unique position within India as a communist state, often acting in the interest of global capitalism by implementing neoliberal polices and steering state-led develop- ment plans, its Adivasis are already queer in their relationship to the state as “non-modern others”. In order to understand the often contradictory and complex relationship of the Adivasi with the communist-neoliberal state, beyond being the “marginal other”, I mobilize a queer decolonial feminist framework, through a process I term queering. I use queering to critically examine and analyze con- temporary indigeneity and indigenous resistance in two stages. Firstly, through 1 The author would like to gratefully acknowledge the National Science Foundation and the American Institute of Indian Studies for their dissertation research funding support. The author would also like to thank resource persons at the National Archives of India, and the Tamilnadu State Archives for their support and efforts. This paper would not have been possible without the invaluable contributions of the research participants, the guidance of Manoj and family, and the support- ive feedback of two anonymous reviewers and the special issue editors. Last, but signiicantly, this paper was greatly enriched by comments and suggestions made by Alex Sphar, Nirmal Selvamony, and Kavin Paulraj, and the guidance of Jody Emel and Dianne Rocheleau. inlaga 2-2016 22 jan 2017.indd 167 2017-01-22 19:09