Seminar Series: Abstract

Cape to Cairo in a Colonial Cocoon & Emily’s Footsteps: Women Artists and Travelers in the early Twentieth Century “Far East”
Margaret O’Callaghan & Tessa Morris-Suzuki

Cape to Cairo in a Colonial Cocoon

abstract: In 1922 two Melbourne women academics undertook an eight month journey from Cape Town to Cairo. Far from being exotic and dangerous as expected by many, the journey was in fact conducted in a very familiar “colonial cocoon” which largely insulated the travelers from Africa and African life. The record of the journey clearly illustrates how space can be socially constructed, in this case, by the British empire, and including an imperially defined itinerary

Emily’s Footsteps: Women Artists and Travelers in the early Twentieth Century “Far East”

abstract: This brief presentation outlines a project examining western women traveler’s perceptions of the Japanese Empire around the time of the colonization of Korea. By focusing on the work of travelers who were also artists, particularly the early 20th century traveler Emily Kemp, I explore the visions of the “Far East” which these travelers presented in their work, and the relationship between their travels and the processes of Japanese imperial expansion.