The science theme is explored differently in Christa Wolf’s ‘Selbstversuch’ / ‘Self-Experiment’. Science manifests itself in various ways throughout the story. The story follows the main character, Anders, who engages in a scientific experiment to change genders. Anders is described as the man with a woman’s brain with a man’s brain. The story is told from the narrator’s perspective of a female who undergoes a self-experiment procedure to become a man and experience masculine privileges in a male-dominated science field. As the story unfolds, audiences get to follow the journey of the transitioning individual and appreciate her contemporary world with its strict gender identities. Though the tale explores numerous scientific themes ranging from sociological to psychology, it primarily explores gender science and its relevant implications. This paper will explore the scientific themes present in Selbstversuch to help audiences understand various scientific concepts the author covers.
Social Constructs Shape Gender Identity.
The prominent scientific theme explored in the story is what constitutes gender identity. The science of gender identity is one of the most hotly contested areas in the Western world. Many stakeholders endorse the view that gender is assigned at birth and effectively a genetic characteristic determined by chromosomes; however, in recent scientific development and the prominence of the transgender community, the notion is being challenged. Wolf explores the scientific concept of gender identity using a protagonist who switches genders. Transitioning genders does not effectively eradicate the initial gender characteristics at a psychological level. The main character has switched genders, yet she still feels feminine and cannot express her masculine undertones. The dichotomy of her gender of being biologically one gender and psychologically another gender corroborates modern research into gender ideologies that suggest there is more to gender than genetics. Wolf’s work is said to describe a woman “who wants to live, rather than be lived” (die nicht gelebt werden will, sondern leben) ((Urang, 2011,145). The statement shows that despite the gender change, it is apparent that the burdens associated with the previous gender still linger. The realization indicates that gender is beyond the confines of the genetic and physical attributes associated with being male or female. Gender identity encapsulates every aspect of our beings, including the psychological and sociological constructs related to gender identity.
The female protagonist is forced to experience the inferiority of gender psychologically even though she is biologically male. The presentation compounds and conforms to the idea that gender is beyond genetics. However, it is important to note that the science of trans-genderism is a fairly new field, and more research is currently being conducted to see how viable it is. The scientific theme of gender identity creates inroads into understanding the scientific theme of social gender constructs. Social gender constructs examine societal expectations towards gender and how they definitively shape what is associated with masculinity and femininity.
Wolf writes, “You were right, professor when you joked that scientia, science, maybe a lady, but she has a man’s brain. It cost me years of my life to learn to subjugate myself to that kind of thinking, the highest virtues of which are noninterference and impassivity” (Urang, 2011,141). In the exchange between the protagonist and the professor, views experience how societal norms shape gender identities and force individuals to conform to either side of being male or female. Society has preset qualifications as to what is masculine and feminine and dictates how each gender fits into the mound. The acknowledgement of societal constructs of gender is crucial because it helps in exploring the scientific discourse of the modern that claims gender is beyond the genetic characteristic that informs gender assigned at birth as either male or female.
Ethical Issues with Scientific Experimentation.
Aside from the gender aspects, another scientific theme discussed throughout the story is the ethics of scientific studies. The story’s premise is of a scientist who successfully experiments on herself to transform genders and become a man. After the transformation, she experiences the world through the male perspective, and she experiences regret after experiencing the freewoman authority that comes with gender change. Portions of the story are solely dedicated to the narrator lamenting whether the shift was logical and trying to switch back to her original gender. The mental suffering she undergoes makes one ponder over the safety of scientific experiments that define the ethical aspects of such discussions. Ethics is an important aspect of scientific studies, and every research and experiment is expected to be conducted under certain restrictions. The ethics that govern scientific research are strict on human experimentation and often encourage scientists to only engage in research if it betters humanity and has limited harm to society. Pertaining in such an unpredictable experiment shows the potential harm scientific experiments pose to society and how, if left unregulated, scientific research may end up causing irreparable damage. Therefore, Wolf uses the story to highlight the potential harms of unethical scientific practices and how they can easily disrupt the ecosystem and societal establishments.
Wolf writes about her experiences from the participant’s perspective to properly discuss the theme of ethics in science. In scientific research, the report only considers the perspective of the researcher experimenting. Researchers rarely give participants room to share sentiments unrelated to the experiment. After returning to the female version, the protagonist writes about her experience in a scientific treatise to a professor. In that treatise, Wolf helps shed light on the respondent’s perspective and how the experiment impacted their life, especially how it affected them mentally. Throughout the story, Wolf uses the protagonist to show the horrors of experiencing gender change, highlighting the need for the proper ethical evaluation of human-centred research. The story helps readers appreciate what research subjects will likely encounter when participating in highly experimental processes. The respondents can develop either long or short-term problems that affect their mental and physical health. The research emphasizes the need for human research that considers the participants’ overall well-being and is overly concerned about the final results. Wolf’s story shows that ethics and science are historically linked and that any scientific experiments should be done to better the human experience and help society grow. Therefore, the science theme in Wolf’s story is told from an ethical consideration to encourage ethical practices in scientific inquiry.
Gender Discrimination in Science.
The theme of science is discussed from a gender-discriminatory lens. The story allows readers to experience the misogyny of the male-dominated scientific field contemporary to Wolf. The story shows that science was primarily male-dominated, and stories, reports, and journals were often told from a male perspective. After transforming into a woman, the protagonist writes an official scientific report in a critical, ironic and personal tone addressed to a professor. The report serves as a treatise that traditionally represents a scientific or philosophical argument, and the protagonist uses it to challenge the established scientific conventions. The protagonist’s letter states, “There is nothing funnier than a woman who writes treaties” (Eigler, 2000, p.401). The statement is presented mockingly to help showcase her disgust with the female discrimination in the scientific field that is used to oppress women. Taking extreme measures showcases how little the scientific community valued women’s input during Wolf’s contemporary times. Writing the treatise helps the protagonist mainstream female inputs in scientific discourse, showing that women are meaningful contributors to the scientific genre. The book by Wolf can be a powerful tool in addressing the issue of gender discrimination and helping scientists and society by encouraging them to expressly appreciate the contributions of women writers, researchers and those playing other key roles in science and its advancement.
In conclusion, Wolf’s Selbstversuch is a fascinating piece of literature that explores various scientific themes. The main themes about science addressed in the short story primarily revolve around gender and gender identity. Given the prevailing discourse in the Western world today, the story is important reading to help understand what constitutes and how society should respond towards gender. The book also handles the theme of ethics in scientific experimentation and shows the importance of considering the implications of such activities by adopting the perspective of the research participants. It shows that scientific inquiry should always be geared towards human advancement and present minimal harm to the participants. The story also touches on the role of women in science by showing the level of gender discrimination women contemporary to the story had to endure as they navigated through the male-dominated scientific fields.
References.
Eigler, F. (2000). Rereading Christa Wolf’s “Selbstversuch”: Cyborgs and Feminist Critiques of Scientific Discourse. The German Quarterly, 73(4), 401–415. https://doi.org/10.2307/3072759
Urang, J. G. (2011). Legal Tender: Love and Legitimacy in the East German Cultural Imagination (p. 236). Cornell University Press. https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/62110/1/9780801460067.pdf
write