Overview

Together, these travelogues shatter the binaries that uphold colonial discourse-insider versus outsider, observer versus observed, subject versus object. Parkes remakes her identity through total immersion; Begum cements hers through strategic authorship. Parkes enjoys the spoils of empire even as her prose trembles with unease at its arrogance. Begum couches her dissent in syntax palatable to British temperament, yet never surrenders her regal perspective. Positioned at opposite poles of the colonial spectrum, they both illuminate the brutal alchemy of power, gender, and authenticity forged in the crucible of travel. Deploying feminist literary theory, postcolonial critique, and travel studies, this book rips open the layered politics inscribed in these texts. It reveals that these travelogues are not passive recollections or sterile geographic logs; they are battlegrounds where belonging, agency, and authorship are claimed-and violently defended. In these semi-autobiographical chronicles, Parkes and Begum invent new selves, staking out spaces that a world hell-bent on confining them never intended to grant.

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9781645607441

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Ankita Mohanty is a Ph.D. scholar in the Department of English at Ravenshaw University, Cuttack. A passionate and inquisitive literature enthusiast, her research interests span postcolonial studies, gender and travel narratives, memory and trauma in fiction, and women's writing. Deeply committed to exploring the intersections of identity, power, and storytelling, she aims to foreground marginalized voices through her academic work. With a keen eye for cultural nuance and historical context, Ankita continues to engage with literature not only as an academic pursuit but as a powerful tool for social insight and transformation. Dr. Gurudev Meher, a distinguished translator and academic, is an Associate Professor in the PG Department of English at Ravenshaw University, Cuttack, Odisha. With over fifteen years in academia, he excels in postcolonial criticism, diaspora studies, and translation. His research is published in prestigious journals worldwide. Educated at Utkal University and Ravenshaw University, Dr. Meher has taught for more than eighteen years across various colleges in Odisha. His passion for literature and translation is evident in his work on diasporic writing and translating Odia novels into English, bridging cultural narratives and reaching a wider audience. His notable translations include The Changeover, the English version of Surendra Mohanty's Kalantara, and Night in the Metropolis and Other Stories, both published by Bloomsbury Publishing and Black Eagle Books in 2019 and 2023, respectively. These works highlight his skill in preserving Odia literature's essence for global readers.

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