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Abstract
As a phenomenon, androgyny is an ability to display both male and female characteristics in human identity through dress, ornaments, speech, body language and actions. Traditionally, androgynous behaviour is seen as a breach of standards of sexual norms and values, and gender-specific behaviour, and consequently, condemned and discouraged, but throughout human history, androgynous practices have existed in many cultures and religious traditions, wherein transformation of gender is viewed as a source of spiritual awakening. It exists as a symbolic practice in sufi culture, and is particularly associated with the socially non-conformist male sufis who take on the persona of women. Cross-dressed pilgrims can be seen at some of the sufi shrines as well. In South Asia, its most glaring example is Shaykh Musa 'Sada Suhag' (d. 1449) of Gujarat, who always dressed up as a female and wore female ornaments. However, some of the male sufis only occasionally adopted a feminine persona. Such androgyne sufis try to transcend normative gender categories, and redefine the concept of masculinity. Historically, some of them enjoyed popular esteem. Their androgynous behaviour was a metaphorical practice, which symbolized the idea of God's bride. In other words, it was a practical manifestation of that very idea.
Introduction
The word androgyny is derived from two ancient Greek words: andro meaning man and gyne meaning woman. As a phenomenon, androgyny is defined by the psychologists as an ability to display both male and female characteristics in human identity (Kalat 2011: 183). It is understood both in biological or physical and psychological or behavioural sense. An androgynous person who displays such characteristics can be labelled either as male or female in biological terms. Sometimes, the term is specifically used for biological males who display female characteristics or behaviour patterns, while another term gynandry is used to refer to those biological females who exhibit male behaviour or characteristics (Reber 1985: 34).
In sociological, anthropological, psychological, and gender studies literature dealing with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, concepts related to androgyny such as transvestism/transvestite (also referred to as transvestitism), transgenderism/transgender, transsexualism/ transsexual, gender reversal/inversion, and cross-dressing, etc. have also been employed, but many of these terms are debated and contested. These terms are used in a variety of senses, and historically,...