Blog Post: Diosa Bahe

Reflecting Upon the Lili Elbe Digital Archive Project

By Diosa Bahe
December 5, 2019

After being invited to be a collaborator on the Lili Elbe Digital Archive Project, I was elated to be able to contribute to such an informative and global project that I knew would better the understanding of gender identity and trans experiences for the global community. Throughout the project, my experience of reading Man Into Woman, encoding various materials, and partaking in a scene collation, has given me an opportunity to reflect on my own views on gender identity, and how this project can ultimately offer readers the same space for reflection, and potentially result in a better global understanding and discussion on gender identity.

The first portion of this project was to read and analyze Man Into Woman, which was done with ease on my part, because I found the narrative so deeply compelling and insightful. Issues of not only gender identity and transgender experiences (though the term “transgender” was not yet coined at the time of publishing), but historical events that have contributed to the stifling of progressive gender discussion, were prevalent throughout the narrative. For example, the narrative is set in Germany, where the first institute that focused on sexology was looted by the Nazi Party, and many resources on sexology and gender identity were ultimately destroyed. It was little bits of historical information like this that allowed me to view the purported “war on sexuality” (and gender) as being rooted in history, which I had never been taught in my history courses, and subsequently never contemplated before. Furthermore, the narrative was simply well-written and littered with deep, intimate writings on Lili Elbe’s life, allowing me to grasp even a slight understanding of the experience of going through gender confirmation surgery (then referred to as genital transformation surgery), and how impactful and emotionally-harrowing that can be. The terminology used at the time of the narrative (i.e. genital transformation surgery as opposed to gender confirmation surgery, which demonstrates a more empathetic and validating understanding of one’s gender identity) also contributed to my broader understanding of the rhetoric of trans narratives that can disenfranchise trans individuals. Needless to say, the narrative itself deeply held my interest and helped me better my reading comprehension and analytical skills.

By contrast, nearly the entirety of the encoding process within this course has been wholly foreign to me. I have encoded a text the same number of times that I’ve backed up my computer- a white-knuckled once. Needless to say, the process of encoding (and generally anything within the computer-science realm) has presented its hardships to me. I find myself going back and forth between six different tabs as I labor to encode one sentence, constantly referring to the reference pages that Caroline so graciously uploads to GitHub. And even then, my lack of confidence in the subject altogether slows the pace at which I can even complete an assignment. And after all of that, I still find myself questioning whether or not I completed the assignment with accuracy. However, one aspect of the project has given me a new perspective, analytical reading and encoding aside, on the Lili Elbe Digital Archive Project.

Upon reading Man Into Woman, the depth and integrity of Lili Elbe’s narrative began to seep into my overarching consciousness regarding my limited knowledge of a trans narrative. Having come from a reservation wherein I have been exposed to the notion of “two-spirit,” I found myself not fully understanding the degree to which Elbe’s narrative, as well as the digitalization of it, could affect change on a global level. I have been privileged to have had the exposure and embracing introduction to the non-binary. Because of my early introduction to concepts of the non-binary and spectrum of sexuality, I tend to view the colonized/western view of sexuality and gender in all of its limitations. This isn’t to discount the labor and strength of early advocates, such as Marsha P. Johnson or Sylvia Rivera. Rather, my views, in all of their progressive privileges, brought a sense of security to my life that disregarded current western views towards individuals who do identify as non-binary. Hence, my view of the inequities thrust upon this community came from a place of frustration towards westernized views, rather than empathy for the roots of these western views, and the abhorrent effects that they have towards the community. However, being a collaborator on the Lili Elbe Digital Archive has given me a deeper insight into the positivity that it emulates for the trans community, as well as its vital importance to better understanding gender and sexuality.

As aforementioned, I was raised with the indigenous perspective of gender- that is, that “two-spirit” beings exist. However, our (Kootenai Native) culture does not separate the “two” into two binary categories, such as male or female. Alternatively, we view the identity as encompassing all genders of the western “spectrum,” instead subscribing to the belief that one individual can espouse identities and expressions not limited to either or (male or female). Recognizing the privilege that I was exposed to such an inclusive and progressive (for lack of better terms) concept has allowed me to look past my debilitating view of western ideologies towards sex and gender, which ultimately masked the importance of such narratives as Lili’s to the greater global community. This realization also helped me better understand the importance of scene collation, which is a comparison of different editions of literature. For the project, I was tasked with scene collation, and for Man Into Woman, this involved examining the different language editions of the narrative, which were German Typescript, American, and Danish versions. In understanding my own sort of “edition” (i.e. my Native American heritage guiding me to view gender identity from a different perspective), I was able to better grasp the linguistic differences and their subsequent translations, which resulted in differing perspectives of the narrative, and thus gender identity, for individuals across a variety of language groups. Thus, scene collation serves as a way to analyze these differences, find the root of what causes them linguistically, and ultimately provide a platform for a broader discussion on what gender identity is meant to be understood as, and how we can work together to reach an understanding.

In recognizing the vital importance that this narrative has in a time of such social upheaval, my experience in the digitalization of this project has only garnered more respect for the digital humanities. Along with my newly acquired skills in encoding, I have gained more interpersonal skills as well. In collaborating with my group in scene collation, I have been widely exposed to other perceptions of sex and gender. It has been both emotionally confronting and empowering to hear about my peers’ adversity with societal views on such vital aspects of their identities. My frustration with the westernized views of sex and gender has quickly turned into a deep empathy for those affected by the westernization. In all of the complexity within sex and gender, it has only been magnified in my own perception that there is a gaping hole in resources for individuals who do not have access to narratives as powerful as Lili’s. Thus, it has been made abundantly clear to me how crucial it is that this narrative is digitalized and made available globally.

The defeat that marginalized groups feel throughout their lives is incomprehensible for me at best, and serves as a reminder for how truly grateful I am to be a part of a project that seeks to alleviate some of this defeat. It is for this reason that I have not found the encoding tedious, or “iterative.” If encoding letters is my role in the global project of digitizing this narrative, then I am happy to do it- it is such a small effort that I can make in the grand scheme of things. And despite my own awareness of my overwhelming need to practice encoding more, the process has also made me aware of the degree to which it is vital to scholarship. I look forward to the day that scholarly articles, narratives, journals, etc. are made accessible to all. With digital humanities, this becomes possible. Furthermore, the project’s ability to impact individuals on a global level gave me an opportunity to delve into Loyola’s Jesuit Mission, which encourages Loyola students to partake in and promote social justice. This project allowed me to take a small role in this pursuit of social justice, in that digitizing Lili Elbe’s narrative creates a space for individuals within the trans community and otherwise to take part in open discourse on gender and sexuality. In seeing the impact that this project has had on my life, it is overwhelming to think about how much it will impact the lives of others.

The most admirable part of this process has been entirely observational, as I begin to see and understand the collaboration and diverse perspectives that are necessary to create a holistic, well-transcribed digital text. The collaboration within our classroom has also proven to be the most helpful part of the encoding process, as members of my group are readily available to answer any questions that may arise. This gives my rookie-self some comfort, and it’s made clear by my progress throughout the few projects that we’ve been assigned thus far. In hearing diverse perspectives, I have also been better able to understand the westernized views of sexuality and gender, which wholly contributes to the greater understanding of trans narratives. Through that, it is inspiring to know that this project not only serves as a platform for many individuals who identify as trans, but as a tool for broadening one’s overall perspective, as it has for me. Ultimately, the Lili Elbe Digital Archive Project has been an invaluable opportunity to expand my own knowledge, as well as contribute to a platform that offers accessible knowledge to all around the globe.