TRAVEL AND GENDER IN TRANSLATION: The Strange Case of Isabelle Eberhardt

This contribution considers the different agencies involved in the process of translating travel writing and how these can inflect the treatment of questions of gender and sexuality (and, to a lesser extent, race, religion, national or cultural identity). It focuses on the travel diaries of Isabelle Eberhardt and their successive editions in three languages: French, Italian, and English. The analysis encompasses textual and paratextual features, aiming to show how varied versions of the text and visions of the author -sometimes coherent, sometimes conflicting -are produced in each instance. At the methodological level, the case study aims to show how a layered, intersectional approach can illuminate translation’s impact on specific, situated processes of cultural representation.