European Travellers to Wales: 1750-2010

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The aim of this interdisciplinary and collaborative project is to uncover and evaluate hitherto unstudied travel accounts written by European travellers to Wales from 1750 to 2010. This important area of study has been neglected, but is central to our understanding of European intercultural relations, the development of Welsh identity and the establishment of the tourist industry in Wales. The proposed study will serve as a case study to help further understand issues relating to hegemonic / minority and/or periphery / periphery relations. Within the vibrant field of travel writing, Wales has often suffered neglect. Even where there is interest in travel to 'Celtic' nations, Wales has often been overlooked in both the artistic and critical imaginations in favour of Scotland and Ireland. From the mid-eighteenth century, which saw the emergence of the travel narrative as a popular source of information and entertainment, writing about Wales has often been embedded in accounts of travel to 'England'. The current project seeks to redefine perceptions of Wales by problematising the notion of 'invisibility' often ascribed to the Welsh context and by broadening perspectives outwards to encompass European perceptions. This will realign the current debate which has centred primarily on English travellers to Wales. The project will challenge the way in which travel writing studies conceives of 'minority cultures' by analysing relations between smaller nations (Wales / Brittany). The study will examine European perceptions of Wales from the eighteenth to the twenty-first century, and seek to identify their impact on developing Welsh cultural identity.The project will focus primarily on texts by French- and German-speaking travellers, as these constitute the majority. However, narratives from other parts of Europe and across the globe will also be considered. The project will analyse travelogues, travel guides, almanacs, encyclopaedias, private correspondences, diaries, creative works and periodical contributions which have Wales or Welsh culture as their focus. The definition of the traveller encompasses those travelling for the purpose of leisure, scholarship or commerce as well as those who remain in Wales on a more permanent basis, such as exiles and refugees. Central is the role of Anglophone culture as a mediator between Wales and the European traveller. While most studies of travel literature are one-directional, this study explores a three-way relationship, looking outward from Britain to the continent, then considering how Europe reflects back the perception of Wales and how that perception is then received in Wales itself. The project will result in a number of outputs of interest to a wide range of beneficiaries. Tully, Jones and Williams will produce a jointly-authored book. Focusing on travellers from French and German-speaking cultures, the study concentrates on historical flashpoints (political exile, revolution, war, and Romanticism) when Wales and its culture have attracted the attention of European travellers. Further European perspectives on Wales and views from other parts of the world will be considered via a special issue of the journal Studies in Travel Writing and the end-of-project conference. The Research Assistant and the two PhD theses are central to the project, extending the range of material to be studied to literary responses (both creative and critical), philological works and guidebooks. The broader findings of the project will be showcased to the academic community and the general public by means of a searchable online database and a website. An exhibition (both physical and virtual) will be staged, and a range of educational materials for schools will also be developed concurrently. A briefing paper for Visit Wales will outline what travellers and tourists want or expect from Wales.