In Fieldwork as a Sex Object, Meena Kandasamy—the Women’s Prize-shortlisted author and “one-woman agitprop literary-political movement”—returns with an explosive and provocative novel that feels like a report sent from the front lines of the digital age. Moving away from the trapped, stifling atmosphere of family life that her previous works centred on, she sets her sights on the “manosphere,” the rise of Hindu nationalism, and the terrifying weaponisation of artificial intelligence.
The novel follows Amrita Chaturvedi, the daughter of a Delhi High Court judge, who reinvented herself in London as “Amy.” Amy is a quintessential modern contradiction: a champagne-socialist influencer who tweets Marxist theory while her reality TV past lingers just out of sight.
Her carefully curated life is shattered when a deepfake porno featuring her face goes viral, shared relentlessly by “WhatsApp aunties” and used by a group of anonymous radicalised incels for harassment.
Meena Kandasamy
What follows is a digital stoning in the town square of social media. Kandasamy’s writing is electric—fast-paced, fiery, and very courageous in the face of backlash. She skilfully explores how the online world spills into real-world violence, documenting a heartless campaign to silence vocal, independent women under the guise of “Making India Hindu Again.” The “fieldwork” mentioned in the title refers not only to academic research, but also to the invasive, voyeuristic scrutiny women face in the public eye, where they are reduced from political subjects to sex objects.
The story is expertly structured to mirror the chaos of the internet, balancing Amy’s personal attempts to “Kardashian” her way out of the scandal—and even spin it to her advantage—with a broader examination of how caste, gender, and far-right culture intersect. Through this lens, Kandasamy exposes the technical ease with which deepfakes can destroy a woman’s control over her own life, turning her image against her in ways she cannot stop.
Ultimately, Fieldwork as a Sex Object is more than a narrative about the Indian “manosphere,” feminism, or the rise of the far right; it is a wild, utterly authentic, and essential read for anyone seeking to understand the complexities of our hyper-connected, often cruel modern world. It is a strong call to action that asks a chilling question: how much are you prepared to risk for your principles in an era where the internet never forgets? Kandasamy has once again proven herself to be one of our most important and distinctive voices.
