Overview
- Unites a wealth of research for scholars in Latin American Studies, U.S. American Studies of empire, Women's studies, and travel literature
- Collapses the boundaries of traditional studies through its examination of transnationalism and women of science, particularly within Mexico and Brazil
- Connects two specific case studies within a larger context to show how women participated in the development of scientific thought through their own observations and descriptions of nature
- Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras
Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Literature, Science and Medicine (PLSM)
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Table of contents (5 chapters)
Keywords
- Women and Nineteenth-Century Travel Narratives
- Alexander von Humboldt
- Frances Calderón de la Barca
- Elizabeth Cary Agassiz
- Science and Nineteenth-Century Travel Narratives
- Nineteenth-Century Travel Narratives about Mexico
- Nineteenth-Century Travel Narratives about Brazil
- Latin American literature
- Latin American women writers
About this book
This book offers a new and insightful look at the interconnections between the United States, Brazil and Mexico during the nineteenth century. Gerassi-Navarro brings together U.S. and Latin American Studies with her analysis of the travel narratives of Frances Calderón de la Barca and Elizabeth Cary Agassiz. Inspired by the writings of Alexander von Humboldt these women, in their travels, expand his views on the tropics to include a social dimension to their observations on nature, culture, race, and progress in Brazil and Mexico. Highlighting the role of women as a new kind of observer as well as the complexity of connections between the United States and Latin America, Gerassi-Navarro interweaves science, politics, and aesthetics in new transnational frameworks.
Reviews
“This fascinating book follows two spirited women who accompanied their husbands from Boston to Mexico (Frances Calderón de la Barca) and Brazil (Elizabeth Cabot Agassiz). Although their travel narratives are primarly known for their perceptive observations of daily life, Gerassi-Navarro shows that they are much more than that. Crossing geographical and disciplinary boundaries, she provides fresh insights into Life in Mexico (1843) and A Journey in Brazil (1868). Paying close attention to the contradictions and ambiguities of these texts as well as to the transnational historical contexts that framed them, she reveals how these women, despite their alleged marginalization from science and politics, used their writing to participate in the public debates of their day.” (Silvia Marina Arrom, Professor Emerita of History, Brandeis University, USA)
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Nina Gerassi-Navarro teaches Latin American Literature and Culture at Tufts University, where she is also Director of the Latin American Studies Program. She has written extensively on nation building, women, outlaws, and visual culture. Her books include Pirate Novels: Metaphors of Nation Building (1999) and the co-edited volume, Otros estudios transatlánticos: Lecturas desde lo latinoamericano (2009).
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Women, Travel, and Science in Nineteenth-Century Americas
Book Subtitle: The Politics of Observation
Authors: Nina Gerassi-Navarro
Series Title: Palgrave Studies in Literature, Science and Medicine
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61506-6
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Literature, Cultural and Media Studies, Literature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2017
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-61505-9Published: 24 November 2017
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-319-87095-3Published: 24 May 2018
eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-61506-6Published: 15 November 2017
Series ISSN: 2634-6435
Series E-ISSN: 2634-6443
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XVI, 276
Number of Illustrations: 9 b/w illustrations
Topics: Nineteenth-Century Literature, North American Literature, Postcolonial/World Literature, Latin American History, Women's Studies