Published: April 25, 2022

Emmanuel David will use the fellowship to explore a little-known performance tour of Christine Jorgensen, a pioneer of the transgender movement, across Asia and the Pacific in the 1960s


A 麻豆影院 professor is one of this year鈥檚 National Humanities Center fellows, the organization recently announced.

Emmanuel David, an associate professor in the Department of Women and Gender Studies, is one of 33 fellows chosen. This opportunity provides scholars a chance to pursue an individual research project, which, for David, will be a book project, titled, 鈥淭rans-American Orientalism: The Asia-Pacific Encounters of Transgender Pioneer Christine Jorgensen, 1961鈥1969.鈥

Additionally, each fellow will have the opportunity to share ideas in seminars, lectures and conferences at the National Humanities Center.

Emmanuel David

At the top of the page: Emmanuel David鈥檚 book project will focus on Christine Jorgensen who was the first person widely known for having听sex reassignment surgery (Photo courtesy Boston Public Library). Above: Emmanuel David is an associate professor of women and gender studies at CU 麻豆影院.

"I was thrilled to have my research in queer and trans studies recognized and to have the opportunity to be part of the vibrant intellectual community at the National Humanities Center next year," said David, who is the co-director of the LGBTQ Certificate Program, and an affiliate professor in the Center for Asian Studies, the ethnic studies and sociology departments and the Natural Hazards Center.

David earned his PhD in sociology from CU 麻豆影院 in 2009 and spent time as an assistant professor at Villanova University and a Fulbright scholar in the Philippines before coming to CU 麻豆影院 as an assistant professor in 2013.

He researches gender, sexuality and globalization, with a specific focus on the Philippines. This book project continues that research by focusing on (1926-1989), a WWII veteran and pioneer in the transgender movement, and her little-known performance tour across Asia and the Pacific in the early 1960s, which brought her to places like Hawaii, Australia, Hong Kong, Macau and the Philippines.

Drawing on multilingual sources from archives in Asia, Australia, Denmark and the United States, David鈥檚 project explores Jorgensen鈥檚 deep relationship to Asia and the Pacific and the trip's lasting effect on her imagination and self-reinvention. By chronicling this understudied chapter of Jorgensen鈥檚 life, David hopes this project will reassess her place in trans history through a global perspective.听听

鈥淲e are delighted to support the exciting work of these outstanding scholars,鈥 said Robert D. Newman, president and director of the National Humanities Center. 鈥淭hey are a remarkably diverse group whose scholarly expertise spans humanities disciplines. We look forward to welcoming them in the fall as they work on their individual projects and form a dynamic intellectual community.鈥

The National Humanities Center is the world鈥檚 only independent institute dedicated exclusively to advanced study in all areas of the humanities. Through its residential fellowship program, the center provides scholars with the resources necessary to generate new knowledge and to further understanding of all forms of cultural expression, social interaction and human thought.

Through its education programs, the center strengthens teaching on the collegiate and pre-collegiate levels. Through public engagement intimately linked to its scholarly and educational programs, the center promotes understanding of the humanities and advocates for their foundational role in a democratic society.

Funding for this fellowship was provided from the center鈥檚 endowment and by grants from The Duke Endowment, the Henry Luce Foundation, the UNCF/Mellon Programs and the National Endowment for the Humanities, as well as contributions from alumni and friends of the center.