Travel literature is a window into the worlds of travel and adventure across the centuries. However, history shows that women were often excluded from the traditional literary scene during the early stages of this genre. Nevertheless, women managed to add a unique and distinctive voice, offering a new perspective on travel, the East and reimagining the concept of "the other."

This symposium aims to shed light on the nature of these works and understand how travel became a means of personal empowerment for women. It allowed them to break social constraints and seek self-discovery, fulfilling their potential in new realms.

We will explore how these journeys addressed themes such as identity, social justice and the role of women in different societies. Can these experiences serve to challenge prevailing social norms? How might they contribute to overcoming gender and cultural barriers among peoples and religions, thereby reshaping the relationship between women and travel in a more inclusive and humanistic manner?

This symposium aims to shift the question of Orientalism, often read through a masculine lens, to inquire whether there exists a female Orientalism, constructed in the same era, by female travelers, archaeologists and ethnologists who also visited these distant lands. Their writings, which are lesser known, less cited and much less studied, might offer a different perspective on this particular "otherness."

Speakers:

• Opening Remarks and General Introduction:
  Dr. Moez Dridi, Senior Archives Specialist, Qatar National Library

• Dr. Falestin Naili, University of Basel, Switzerland
  Hilma Granqvist (1890–1972): Her Approach and Work at the Crossroads of Orientalism and Ethnography through Her Fieldwork in the Village of Artas (Palestine)

• Dr. Leila Jabri, researcher in heritage studies and specialist in Islamic art and archaeology, National Heritage Institute,Tunisia
  An exploration of the social scenes, architecture, and heritage of the city of Tunis in the late 19th century through the eyes of Bavarian Princess Therese (1850–1925)

• Dr. Soundouss El Kettani, Royal Military College of Canada
  When the Era Speaks through a Princess: Cristina Belgiojoso and Universal Colonization

• Dr. Nadia Riahi, Associate Professor of Cultural Studies at the University of Tunis
  The Journeys of Isabelle Eberhardt in the Maghrebi Desert as an Alternative Narrative to Classical Orientalism

Click here to download the symposium flyer.

Date: 5 May 2025

Time: 5:00 - 7:30 PM 

Language: Arabic and English

Target Audience: Researchers and the general public

Seats are limited, please click the button below to register.