Viaggiare, nominare, ricordare: due sguardi sulle donne ai tempi del caucciù
Abstract
The essay examines narratives of the Bolivian rubber boom (1880‑1920), arguing that they often erase the agency of Indigenous, Mestizo, and Criolla women. To challenge this bias, it analyzes two Amazonian travel diaries: one by Italian naturalist Luigi Balzan and another by Bolivian writer Rosa Oporto. Balzan’s scientific view records women anonymously, reflecting a male-centered perspective, while Oporto’s personal account names and humanizes the women she meets, offering sociological insight into gendered experiences within the rubber economy.
Submitted: Sept. 9, 2025 | Accepted: Sept. 19, 2025 | Published Dec. 15, 2025 | Language: it
Keywords Gender Studies • Travelogues • Women • Bolivia • Amazonian rubber boom
Copyright © 2025 Lorena Córdoba. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/979-12-5742-006-2/006