Magnus Hirschfeld's Meanings: Analysing Biography and the Politics of Representation.

GERMAN politics & government; REPRESENTATIVE government; HIRSCHFELD, Magnus, 1868-1935; POLITICS & gender; ENLIGHTENMENT; HISTORY; TWENTIETH century

In view of his continuing political and cultural currency in Germany and beyond, this article endeavours to understand the widespread and singular interest in sexologist and sex reformer Magnus Hirschfeld (1868-1935) as a historical figure. To this end, it analyses four book-length biographies, two in English and two in German, written between the mid-1980s and the early 2010s. By highlighting repeated themes, claims and assertions, the article demonstrates how the dominant representation of Magnus Hirschfeld that emerges across all of his biographies is that of a tireless humanitarian doctor who dedicated his life to fulfilling the spirit of the Scientific Humanitarian Committee's motto: Per scientiam ad justitiam, 'Through Science to Justice'. Based on this framing, his biographers mobilize Hirschfeld's legacy to defend the Enlightenment tradition and champion a liberal approach to sexual politics. This article considers the consequences of these representational choices by examining how biographers suppress or mitigate the more troubling aspects of Hirschfeld's life in order to sustain a narrative that can bear the weight of these political investments. By way of conclusion, it explores the narrative and analytical possibilities afforded by a more ambivalent reading of Hirschfeld's life and legacy, and maintains that a less certain and less heroic view of Hirschfeld may ultimately provide more insight into both the past and the present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]