Page 21 - Enakost spolov: premisleki in izzivi
P. 21
na Weber Kolumb, bitje ženskega spola: refleksije o spolu
v potovalnih zapisih Alme Karlin
Univerza na Primorskem,
Fakulteta za turistične študije – Turistica Že v uvodu potopisa Samotno potovanje (Ljubljana: Mladinska knjiga, 1969) se
University of Primorska, Faculty of Alma Karlin vidi »v vlogi modernega Kolumba«, ko si zamišlja »odkrivanje novega
Tourism Studies – Turistica sveta« in se pripravlja na »osvajalni pohod«. V nadaljevanju se z njim primerja ali
irena.weber@fts.upr.si identificira. Po eni strani ga razume kot navdihovalca in spremljevalca, po drugi
sebe vidi kot neke vrste reinkarnacijo. Ker se je pogosto izrekala za »bitje žen-
Enakost spolov: skega spola« in ne za žensko brez pridržka, je njeno kolumbovsko identifikacijo
premisleki in izzivi možno interpretirati tudi kot preseganje izključne spolne identifikacije, ki je ne-
Povzetki posveta o enakosti spolov deljivo povezana s strukturo in z vlogo moči. Ne gre za to, da bi si želela biti moški,
za vključujočo univerzo in družbo temveč tisto, kar je moškim pripisovala, namreč da njihovo delo »služi človeštvu
Koper, 15. november 2023 nasploh« in ne posameznikom ter da »samozadovoljstvo dosežejo z večjo lahkoto
Gender Equality: in s popolnostjo«. Ženske je kolektivno označila za tiste, ki trpijo in se samoure-
Considerations and Challenges sničijo le redko. Do žensk, ki jih je srečala na potovanju, je imela ambivalenten
Abstracts of the Symposium odnos v kontekstu etnične ali »rasne« pripadnosti, popotnice, ki so po istih poteh
on Gender Equality for an Inclusive hodile pred njo, je zamolčala oz. jih je, tudi zaradi občutka kolumbovskega pr-
University and Society venstva, ignorirala. Iz njenih zapisov je mogoče utemeljeno sklepati, da si je do-
Koper, 15 November 2023 ločene etnografske opise »izposodila«. Ena od raziskovalk potopisov Alme Karlin
se v analizi sprašuje »Ali je ženska lahko Kolumb?«, druga raziskovalka, ki se loteva
antropološke in muzealske analize Alme Karlin, njeno identifikacijo s Kolumbom
premesti v poimenovanje »Kolumbova hči«, čeprav se Alma Karlin sama, kolikor
nam je znano, ni nikoli tako označila. To morda kaže na določeno nelagodje pri
poimenovanju, kadar spolna identifikacija ni uvrščena v neprevprašujočo binar-
nost.
Ključne besede: Alma Karlin, Kolumb, potovanje
Columbus, a Being of the Female Sex: Reflections
on Gender in Alma Karlin’s Travel Writings
In the introduction of her travelogue The Odyssey of a Lonely Woman (London:
Victor Gollancz, 1933) Alma Karlin casts herself ‘in the role of a modern Columbus,’
imagining ‘discovering a new world’ and preparing for a ‘conquering expedition.’
Later on she compares or identifies herself with him. On the one hand, she refers
to Columbus as an inspirer and companion, on the other hand, she perceives her-
self as a form of his reincarnation. Since she often declared herself to be ‘a be-
ing of the female sex’ rather than unequivocally a woman, her identification with
Columbus may be interpreted as transcending an exclusive gender identification
that is inextricably linked to power structures and roles. It is not that she wanted
to be a man, but rather what she attributed to men, namely that their work ‘serves
humanity in general’ and not individuals, and that men ‘achieve self-satisfaction
with greater ease and perfection.’ She collectively labelled women as those who
suffer and rarely self-fulfil themselves. She had an ambivalent attitude towards
the women she met on her journey, in the context of ethnic or ‘racial’ belonging,
and she glossed over or ignored the women travellers who had walked the same
paths before her, also out of a sense of Colombian primacy. From her writings,
it can be reasonably inferred that she ‘borrowed’ certain ethnographic descrip-
tions. In her analysis, one of the researchers of Alma Karlin’s travelogues asks ‘Can
a woman be Columbus?,’ another researcher, who undertakes an anthropological
and museological analysis of Alma Karlin, recasts her identification with Colum-
bus as ‘Daughter of Columbus,’ although Karlin herself, as far as we know, never
referred to herself in this way. This may indicate a certain discomfort with naming
when gender identification is not placed in an unquestioning binary.
Key words: Alma Karlin, Columbus, travel
https://doi.org/10.26493/978-961-293-295-4.9 21
v potovalnih zapisih Alme Karlin
Univerza na Primorskem,
Fakulteta za turistične študije – Turistica Že v uvodu potopisa Samotno potovanje (Ljubljana: Mladinska knjiga, 1969) se
University of Primorska, Faculty of Alma Karlin vidi »v vlogi modernega Kolumba«, ko si zamišlja »odkrivanje novega
Tourism Studies – Turistica sveta« in se pripravlja na »osvajalni pohod«. V nadaljevanju se z njim primerja ali
irena.weber@fts.upr.si identificira. Po eni strani ga razume kot navdihovalca in spremljevalca, po drugi
sebe vidi kot neke vrste reinkarnacijo. Ker se je pogosto izrekala za »bitje žen-
Enakost spolov: skega spola« in ne za žensko brez pridržka, je njeno kolumbovsko identifikacijo
premisleki in izzivi možno interpretirati tudi kot preseganje izključne spolne identifikacije, ki je ne-
Povzetki posveta o enakosti spolov deljivo povezana s strukturo in z vlogo moči. Ne gre za to, da bi si želela biti moški,
za vključujočo univerzo in družbo temveč tisto, kar je moškim pripisovala, namreč da njihovo delo »služi človeštvu
Koper, 15. november 2023 nasploh« in ne posameznikom ter da »samozadovoljstvo dosežejo z večjo lahkoto
Gender Equality: in s popolnostjo«. Ženske je kolektivno označila za tiste, ki trpijo in se samoure-
Considerations and Challenges sničijo le redko. Do žensk, ki jih je srečala na potovanju, je imela ambivalenten
Abstracts of the Symposium odnos v kontekstu etnične ali »rasne« pripadnosti, popotnice, ki so po istih poteh
on Gender Equality for an Inclusive hodile pred njo, je zamolčala oz. jih je, tudi zaradi občutka kolumbovskega pr-
University and Society venstva, ignorirala. Iz njenih zapisov je mogoče utemeljeno sklepati, da si je do-
Koper, 15 November 2023 ločene etnografske opise »izposodila«. Ena od raziskovalk potopisov Alme Karlin
se v analizi sprašuje »Ali je ženska lahko Kolumb?«, druga raziskovalka, ki se loteva
antropološke in muzealske analize Alme Karlin, njeno identifikacijo s Kolumbom
premesti v poimenovanje »Kolumbova hči«, čeprav se Alma Karlin sama, kolikor
nam je znano, ni nikoli tako označila. To morda kaže na določeno nelagodje pri
poimenovanju, kadar spolna identifikacija ni uvrščena v neprevprašujočo binar-
nost.
Ključne besede: Alma Karlin, Kolumb, potovanje
Columbus, a Being of the Female Sex: Reflections
on Gender in Alma Karlin’s Travel Writings
In the introduction of her travelogue The Odyssey of a Lonely Woman (London:
Victor Gollancz, 1933) Alma Karlin casts herself ‘in the role of a modern Columbus,’
imagining ‘discovering a new world’ and preparing for a ‘conquering expedition.’
Later on she compares or identifies herself with him. On the one hand, she refers
to Columbus as an inspirer and companion, on the other hand, she perceives her-
self as a form of his reincarnation. Since she often declared herself to be ‘a be-
ing of the female sex’ rather than unequivocally a woman, her identification with
Columbus may be interpreted as transcending an exclusive gender identification
that is inextricably linked to power structures and roles. It is not that she wanted
to be a man, but rather what she attributed to men, namely that their work ‘serves
humanity in general’ and not individuals, and that men ‘achieve self-satisfaction
with greater ease and perfection.’ She collectively labelled women as those who
suffer and rarely self-fulfil themselves. She had an ambivalent attitude towards
the women she met on her journey, in the context of ethnic or ‘racial’ belonging,
and she glossed over or ignored the women travellers who had walked the same
paths before her, also out of a sense of Colombian primacy. From her writings,
it can be reasonably inferred that she ‘borrowed’ certain ethnographic descrip-
tions. In her analysis, one of the researchers of Alma Karlin’s travelogues asks ‘Can
a woman be Columbus?,’ another researcher, who undertakes an anthropological
and museological analysis of Alma Karlin, recasts her identification with Colum-
bus as ‘Daughter of Columbus,’ although Karlin herself, as far as we know, never
referred to herself in this way. This may indicate a certain discomfort with naming
when gender identification is not placed in an unquestioning binary.
Key words: Alma Karlin, Columbus, travel
https://doi.org/10.26493/978-961-293-295-4.9 21
