Gender, geography, and empire

About This Book

"Exploring the contribution to geographical thought of nineteenth-century British women travellers in West Africa, Cheryl McEwan brings 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 counteract the absence of women in the histories." "The author examines the narratives of British women travellers in West Africa between 1840 and 1915, focusing on their contributions to British imperial culture, the ways in which they were 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."--BOOK JACKET.