Nationalism and the governance of sexuality

In this talk, Pavan Mano dissects the intricacies of nationalism in postcolonial Singapore and its entanglements with the governance of sexuality.

Rejecting the romanticization of the nation as a pure bastion of belonging, his newly-published book Straight Nation: Heteronormativity and other exigencies of postcolonial nationalism (Manchester University Press, 2025) theorizes nationalism as a force obsessed with continually generating threats. It examines how the governance of sexuality in Singapore can produce a series of minoritized figures that contemporary identity claims can neither handle nor dispel.

Mano suggests that the relationship between sexuality and nation is instrumental in producing multiple queered figures who are displaced from the national imaginary. Dwelling on what is often taken as conventional wisdom, he demonstrates how queerness can be xenologized under the sign of the postcolonial nation and turned into a technology of “race”, gender and class in the right contexts.

The talk will outline how the governance of sexual expression functions as a powerful mechanism to shape the lives of many – including, as unlikely as it may seem, heterosexual people. In the face of the far-reaching effects of heteronormativity coupled with nationalism, it will sketch out an argument for an expansive, non-identarian political critique capable of dismantling the deeply entrenched force of heteronormativity in postcolonial Singapore, and the detritus of nationalism along with it.

Speaker & chair biographies

Dr. Pavan Mano is a cultural theorist working in contemporary literature and cultural studies. He received his PhD in English Literature & Cultural Studies from King’s College London, and his research engages with critical and literary theory as well as affiliated intellectual fields such as postcolonial studies, queer studies, nationalism studies, and political theory. His first monograph Straight Nation was published by Manchester University Press in 2025, examining postcolonial nationalism and its intersections with race, gender, and sexuality.

Prof. John Sidel is Director of the Saw Swee Hock Southeast Asia Centre, and the Sir Patrick Gillam Professor of International and Comparative Politics at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

*Banner photo by Leo_Visions on Unsplash

LSE holds a wide range of events, covering many of the most controversial issues of the day, and speakers at our events may express views that cause offence. The views expressed by speakers at LSE events do not reflect the position or views of the London School of Economics and Political Science.