Women in Argentina

In this collection of writings by women both inside and outside of Argentina, Monica Szurmuk has unearthed a rich and delightful tradition of travel writing. The selections, recorded from the period 1850-1930, include travelogues by European and North American women who visited Argentina alongside pieces by Argentinean women who describe trips to the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and the interior of their own country. In addition to short introductions to each text and author, Szurmuk describes how women's texts were co-opted to form an image of white women as models of nationhood that need to be protected and sheltered. She also examines the history of travel writing alongside the participation of women in public life, population policies, and the development of the public school system, and she offers enlightening conclusions about the nature of travel writing as a literary genre.