British Travels to the Americas During the Long 19th Century (NEMLA 2021)

This panel seeks to investigate cross-cultural and intercultural exchanges in British literature produced by men and women who traveled to and from the Americas (North, Central, and South) during the long 19th century (1750-1900). It provides a critical examination of the ideological underpinnings and socio-political reasoning for the production of British travel narratives as well as the effects they had on the construction of identity, race, and gender in American and British territories during this period. In doing so, we hope to challenge established academic disciplinary boundaries and provide new insights into the intricate relationships between transatlantic literature, identity, and politics. Proposed essays may focus but are not limited to the following topics: the construction of the “I” and the “Other(s); gendered bodies and empires; British and US-American conflicts and expansions; representations of Amerindian, Afro-American, and mixed culture(s); interactions and negotiations between indigenous peoples and imperial powers; the economy and politics of slavery; and demonstrations of acceptance and resistance by newly-independent and/or formed nations.

We are particularly interested in papers that are interdisciplinary in nature, and that employ theoretical modes such as critical race studies, gender studies, transatlantic studies, and theories of empire-building.

Direct link to this panel: https://cfplist.com/nemla/Home/S/18950

Please submit abstracts online via the NeMLA portal: https://www.cfplist.com/nemla/Home/CFP