From the Publisher
“This groundbreaking book remaps the field of American Studies as a hemispheric, indeed, a transnational endeavor, from the vantage of a distinguished Latin Americanist. Women, Travel, and Science in Nineteenth-Century Americas models new ways of understanding cross-cultural exchange by exploring 19th century antecedents in the fascinating narratives of women travelers who traversed geographic and epistemological borders in multiple directions. Their proximity and distance from the centers of power yielded unique insights into the social, natural, and political worlds they came from and visited. Gerassi-Navarro’s richly-layered interdisciplinary approach reveals how travel writing shaped the production of scientific knowledge, the literary and visual arts, and the complex meanings of race and gender during a tumultuous period of national consolidation and fracturing across continents.” (Amy Kaplan, Edward W. Kane Professor of English, University of Pennsylvania, USA)
“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)
