How do women in the nineteenth century write about their travels as projects of self-actualisation – against the backdrop of an imperial-patriarchal culture? This project explores travelogues written by women in the long nineteenth century, specifically during the Victorian era. It considers narratives of women who crossed not only continental borders but also transgressed social norms in order to follow ambitious, highly individualist vocations. What does progress and merit (individual and collective) mean to them? What limitations do they perceive and encounter? What language and what forms do they find to write about?
Researcher: Maxime Honinx
Associated: Marjolein Goethals
