Trauma-informed queer pedagogy in vulnerable contexts: a phenomenological inquiry

This phenomenological study explores the lived experiences of queer students navigating conservative higher education institutions in India. Through in-depth interviews and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) with 13 participants, the research investigates how students perceive safety, harm, and belonging within classroom and curricular spaces. Findings reveal that students operate within a context of pervasive hypervigilance and epistemic erasure, necessitating complex strategies of concealment and identity management that contribute to a fractured sense of self. Despite systemic marginalization, participants demonstrated covert agency through intellectual resistance and the creation of clandestine support networks. The analysis, framed by Minority Stress Theory and intersectionality, underscores the compounded vulnerabilities arising from caste, class, and regional identities. The findings underscore the need for trauma-informed, queer-affirming pedagogical practices to mitigate harm and enhance psychological safety in conservative higher-education settings. The study offers contextually grounded insights for faculty development, curriculum design, and institutional support structures within Indian higher education.