Situating Self in Womens Select Travel Narratives On Nepal

Abstract

Post-World WarII socio-political conditions of Europe and America witnessed the sprouting of various revolutionary movements, particularly after 1950. In Britain, travel became a healing agent from the turmoil of war. For women, travel for the first time meant empowerment. The spirit of Theosophy and Buddhism led many British and American residents to be a part of Hippie Trail , in which Nepal is the last destination. America s economic depression during the 1960s forced many people including women to leave their land and seek employment as volunteers of development in different countries including Nepal. Thus, Spiritualism, Buddhism and the Nepali s striving for development made the country a travel destination. My study on women s travel narratives on Nepal begins by raising a few research questions. The first question probes on the identification of gender in travel narratives. The second question attempts to analyse the nature of self in British women s travel narratives on Nepal. The third question is regarding the analysis of the nature of self in American women s travel narratives. The fourth question revolves around studying the nature of self in Afro- American women s travel narratives. Most of the women travellers are aware of their subject position as western/white or black travellers as and when they travel and write about it. The study of the self in travel narratives written by women who belong to different countries and races is significant to understand how a woman s socio-cultural background forms her self and how the self transforms in a new place. newline