Indian Voy(ag)eurs to the Motherland 1870-1920: Gender viewed and reviewed.

This research follows mainly Indian travellers who visited the hearth of the British Empire between 1870-1920. Most of them were overwhelmed with experiences and observations about British Society. In their writings they reflect on these experiences as well as Indian society back home. Therefore, these travellers present great insights into British as well Indian cultures. I focus on images and perspectives on gender, gender roles and the role of women. The primary literature studied is a collection of travelogues entitled: The Empire Writes Back. This is a collection of 17 memoirs, of varying lengths, written predominantly in English for an Indian audience. Most of the Indian authors are male, but there are a few female perspectives included in what is mostly travel literature. These collected works act as a guide to visiting and understanding London for colonial subjects, who are simultaneously members of the Empire and yet ‘others’ to the British. Each document’s vision paints a vivid picture of turn-of-the-century London in its squalor and splendour Furthermore, in this research gender studies demand a double approach, an understanding of the position of women in India based on caste, religion, ideas of equality or domination and subordination; but, also, a keen sense of the different gender roles that existed in Victorian and late Victorian Britain. Most of the sources and secondary literature studied focus on wealthy British ladies, but some of the sources reveal the less fortunate women who became prostitutes. This juxtaposition of different socio-economic groups allows for a Feminist critique of the sources. My research is focused on analysing the lives of British women, both rich and poor, through the Indian eyes of male and female travellers. The British Empire with its Indian travellers was a complex geographical and cultural space. These Indian voy(ag)eurs’ experiences in London between 1870-1920 arose on the backdrop of economic and political domination on the Indian subcontinent. A hierarchical yet intertwined colonial system emerged and notions of home and away became less applicable. The Empire was connected also through discourse and the movements of individuals to and from the metropole. Thus, the Indian travellers were a physical link between India and London.