Kareem Khubchandani Lessons in Drag review and information of the content of book and a Queer Manual for Academics, Artists, and Aunties. Brandeis University Press will publish the new book by Kareem Khubchandani, on October 29, 2025. Here you can read information about the content of the novel, the author and the publication.
Kareem Khubchandani Lessons in Drag review
- “Shrewdly defying the conventions that often keep academic texts dry and sequestered….Khubchandani and Vagistan model a way to integrate research and performance.” (Hyperallergic)
- “Weaving together research, teaching and performance, “Lessons in Drag” is an intricate fashioning of theory and experience. Khubchandani and Ms. Vagistan invite us to consider drag beyond fabric and dress in order to showcase hopeful possibilities of better political and cultural futures.” (Martin F. Manalansan IV)
- “A rollicking ride through performance and gender studies theory, “Lessons in Drag” is like the most virtuosic of drag performances: both erudite and wildly entertaining. At this perilous historical moment when both the queer nightclub and the university classroom are under siege, Khubchandani insists on the necessity of thinking these sites together. He shows how each can inform the other in ways that are theoretically rich, joyous, and life-affirming.” (Gayatri Gopinath)
Lessons in Drag
A Queer Manual for Academics, Artists, and Aunties
- Author: Kareem Khubchandani (United States)
- Book type: drag queen book
- Publisher: Brandeis University Press
- Released: October 29, 2025
- Length: 384 pages
- Format: hardcover/ ebook
- Prize: $ 29.95 / $ 28.95
- Order book from: Amazon / Bol
Blurb of the book by Kareem Khubchandani about drag
Lessons in Drag brings to life a vibrant and thought-provoking dialogue between scholar Kareem Khubchandani and his drag persona LaWhore Vagistan. Beginning with an intimate interview, the book unfolds in alternating chapters where the two exchange insights, stories, and critiques.
Khubchandani delves into the lessons LaWhore’s drag practice offers about academia—shaping his approaches to research, teaching, and writing—while Vagistan reveals how Khubchandani’s scholarship influences her performances, inspiring her understanding of fashion, music, divas, and aunties. Together, their reflections and conversations weave a compelling tapestry of drag’s instructive power.
Witty, bold, and deeply personal, Lessons in Drag is both an invitation to explore drag as a practice and a celebration of its transformative potential.
Kareem Khubchandani is Associate Professor of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies at Tufts University. He is the author of two award-winning books, Decolonize Drag (OR Books, 2023) and Ishtyle: Accenting Gay Indian Nightlife (University of Michigan Press, 2020). He is also the co-editor of the Lambda Literary-nominated Queer Nightlife (University of Michigan Press, 2021). LaWhore Vagistan is your favorite aunty’s favorite aunty—always over-dressed, over-educated, and over-opinionated. Her music videos, including “Sari” and “There’s a Stranger in My House,” have been featured at film festivals in Mississauga, Hyderabad, Austin, and San Francisco. In 2009, she co-founded the queer South Asian party Jai Ho! in Chicago, and in 2023, she launched Dragistan, an annual South Asian drag showcase in New York.