Mary Pos, World Traveler and Cultural Mediator: Paper presented at panel: "Travelling to Work: Women Working in Transnational Spaces"

Research output: Contribution to ConferencePaperAcademic

Abstract

This paper examines the workings of transnationality by looking at the life and travels of Mary Pos (1904-1987). Pos was a Dutch journalist and cultural mediator who between the 1920s and late 1960s ventured out on numerous journeys to explore other cultures. She was a true transnational networker: she corresponded and stayed with hundreds of individuals and organizations, presented thousands of lectures on different cultures both abroad and in the Netherlands, spoke many languages, and crossed national boundaries with ease. In addition, she actively supported Dutch emigration to countries such as South Africa, Australia, and Canada, and discussed the notion of world citizenship with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. My paper focuses on Pos’ journey through Australia in 1938 and 1939. I present a close-reading of the published and unpublished accounts of her trip: newspaper articles, a travel book, letters, and photographs. Then I map out how she borrowed from, and negotiated with, the various narratives of Australia’s history, as well as the practical and gendered limits of her travel project. On the one hand she seemed to present herself as following in the footsteps of male travellers and explorers, such as William Hatfield. On the other hand she identified and bonded with the courageous pioneer women she encountered.
Original languageEnglish
Publication statusUnpublished - 11 Aug 2018
EventConference of the International Federation for Research in Women’s History: “Transnationalisms, Transgressions, Translations” - Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada
Duration: 9 Aug 201812 Aug 2018
Conference number: 12th
http://www.ifrwh.com/

Conference

ConferenceConference of the International Federation for Research in Women’s History
Abbreviated titleIFRWH 2018
Country/TerritoryCanada
CityVancouver
Period9/08/1812/08/18
Internet address

Keywords

  • Travel
  • travel writing
  • gender nonconformity
  • Australia
  • Plagiarism
  • illness narratives
  • Cultural mediators

VU Research Profile

  • Connected World

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Mary Pos, World Traveler and Cultural Mediator: Paper presented at panel: "Travelling to Work: Women Working in Transnational Spaces"'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this