Travel, Gender, and Imperialism

Alison Blunt, M.A., is a Lecturer in the Department of Geography at the University of Southampton in England.

...presents compelling ways of bringing together ideas from poststructuralist and postcolonial theory around geographical questions, and provides much material, both for those working within a similar intellectual territory, and for those grappling with more general methodological questions. It should find its place on many reading lists, if it has not already done so, as it previews an accessible contribution to contemporary debates around identity, space, and power. --R Elmhirst, Environment Section, Wye College, University of London, Environment and Planning ABlunt's book... is innovative, provocative, and clearly written. --Briavel Holcomb, Rutgers UniversityThis book makes a significant contribution to the growing literature on travel, gender, and empire. Alison Blunt develops a post-structuralist perspective on travel writing which remains sensitive to questions of authorship and subjectivity. Drawing on feminist and post-colonial cultural theory, she constructs a sophisticated account of the ambivalent subject positions of Mary Kingsley within the public and private spheres of late Victorian Britain. By situating Kingsley's writings in the wider context of gendered discourses of 'home' and 'away', the book offers a new perspective on both travel writing and the culture of imperialism more generally. --Felix Driver, Royal Holloway, University of LondonAlison Blunt's fascinating study of Mary Kinglsey offers new insights into the social and intellectual context of British imperialism. By drawing upon poststructuralist and feminist theories, she provides a stimulating and scholarly commentary upon the complex relations between Western women and the empire, the nature of nineteenth century British geography and the place of women in the subject's history. A lively and clearly written account, it is a pleasure to read. --Morag Bell, Ph.D., Loughborough University of Technology -

• INTRODUCTION "Only a Woman …" CHAPTER 1 Planning a Route: Travel, Travel Writing, and Imperial Representation INTERLUDE (Re)presenting Mary Kingsley CHAPTER2 Departure: Travel Writing and Gendered Subjectivity CHAPTER3 Journey: Space, Place, and Imperial Subjectivity CHAPTER 4 Return: Reconstituting Home POSTLUDE Institutional Responses to Women Travel Writers CONCLUSION