ABSTRACT
Drawing upon queer scholarship, this chapter outlines the book’s method of queer reading the colonial archive, identifying factors through which to read nawabi architecture which subverts the dominant heteronormativity. It posits disorder, disorientation, unfamiliarity, and non-alignment as architectural aspects that challenge the prevailing emphasis on order in architectural discourse. The chapter demonstrates the method of queer reading through the examples of Aina Khana and the Qaiserbagh as expressions of gender and sexuality. Further, the chapter describes the steps undertaken in collating various forms of archival evidence to undertake a speculative reconstruction of demolished architectural sites, which is further strengthened by providing a sequential description of the reconstructed sites, as if taking the readers on an embodied walk through the sites.
