I have often struggled with what my identity means in an academic context. Within anthropology, I often find myself writing about being an Indian-American woman in my essays, and speaking about my viewpoint in class. But most of the time, I felt like it was a safety net in case I didn’t have anything else to add. At least my experience speaks to what we are talking about, right?
But now reading about #TransformDH, I fear that my project is on the opposite side of the spectrum. I am a woman of color. However, if it wasn’t for my name no one who views my project would know that. That didn’t bother me. I am not sure if it does now.
While I think that it is important that many voices join to be a part of the world’s narrative, I don’t think that it is important that their identity is put on a pedestal above their actual work in the name of diversity. My project is not about diversity, race, or gender, so I don’t think my identity needs to be this pivotal aspect of my work.
I think #TransformDH is important when the work is indicative of that ideology, but not when the creator just happens to be something other than a straight white man.
I find it troublesome to know that whatever I do, my identity will always be preceded by my race and gender, but I have learned to accept it is as a positive. Here’s how:
My work is transformative. But not for the reasons one would think if they had read “Reflections on a Movement.” My work is not transformative because I am a woman of color. However, because I am a woman of color, I am more sensitive to the stories that are pushed out of the spotlight. I chose to talk about performance and storytelling in Gettysburg because there is so much more to this town than people realize.
When I go home to Philadelphia, my friends call Gettysburg ‘Hicksville.’ Back home, Gettysburg has a reputation for being backward and agriculture. But there is so much more to Gettysburg than that image that is so ingrained in these urban areas. There is an industrialized mindset when it comes to tourism in Gettysburg. Creators of entertainment businesses are innovative and always looking to expand.
There is, perhaps, a socioeconomic divide between the world of performance and Gettysburg. Maybe even a political one. But if there wasn’t my job would be too easy.
It would be easy to look at the history of Broadway and call that scholarship. It would be easy to look at the golden age of Hollywood.
Analyzing my scholarship as transformative based on my identity borders on tokenism. We all, regardless of gender, race, class or creed, can do better, be better, to #TransformDH together.
Good thoughts here. While you may not see your identity as directly related to the work you are doing, by being a woman in color in fields that have been dominated by white men (both the humanities and the digital), you are bringing a vital voice into this conversation. As you state, your sensitivity to stories that may have been marginalized brings a needed perspective to the research you are doing and the work in DH itself. One of the goals of this program (not by design, but by happenstance because of the makeup of the cohorts thus far) has been helping young women grow more confident in how they use and talk about technology, so yet another way transformation is happening! On the other hand, I get your reticence to tokenism as well. There’s certainly a balance that needs to happen here, and yes, we all need to do better.
Gettysburg is an odd place where history and kitsch collide, for sure. There are times when it borders on fetishizing the past for the sake of profit, but there’s also the fear that we are preserving history at the expense of progress, even if the intentions are good.
Thank you for this reflection. Keep thinking about all the stories – the ones that are foregrounded and the ones that aren’t. If in the future, you want to focus on performance+history+race, there is plenty of material.
And the stereotypes run both ways…. start asking longtime residents of this town what they think of cities like your home, and you’ll hear some interesting answers!