Gender, Geography and Empire: Victorian Women Travellers in Africa

By: Cheryl McEwan

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Synopsis: This title was first published 2000: This text is intended to draw together two important developments in contemporary geography: firstly, the recognition of the need to write critical histories of geographical thought and, particularly, the relationship between modern geography and European imperialism; and secondly, the attempt by feminist geographers to countervail the absence of women in the histories. The author focuses on the narratives of British women travellers in West Africa between 1840 and 1915, exploring their contributions to British imperial culture, teh ways in which they wer empowered in the imperial context by virtue of both "race" and class, and their various representations of West African landscapes and peoples. The book argues for the inclusion of women and their experiences in histories of geographical thought and explores the possibilities and problems of combining feminist and post-colonial approaches to these histories.