Isabelle Eberhardt: The Passionate Nomad

2008-04-21T08:16:00.001-07:00

When reading The Passionate Nomad Reconsidered I realized that Isabelle Eberhardt was an extraordinary woman who overcame her surroundings, expressed her inner being, and essentially accomplished many feats. Eberhardt struck me as a woman destined to surpass the everyday standards set before her during that time; she seemingly became a significant figure in the Western Imperialist Movement by demanding that she be treated with the same gender ideologies as the opposite sex. While Eberhardt made significant (and sometimes drastic) advances in equalizing gender roles, another significant female figure, Flora Shaw, supported neither the advancement of women's rights nor women's suffrage (click here for more information). Western Imperialism annotates the idea of power and control. Within the story a "Passionate Nomad Reconsidered," Isabelle Eberhardt defies this norm and essentially exerts her presence without hesitation. Contrastingly, although Flora Shaw recognized how gender stereotypes restrained women, she did not find it necessary to challenge the imperial constructions of gender. Both women put Women's History in A Global Perspective and were iconic figures of their time, but Eberhardt truly went above and beyond the cultural norms of a male driven society in order to be part of her own self-dominated one.

Personally I feel that Eberhardt was courageous and inspiring to all women because she didn't settle for the everyday norm. In my opinion, her unique efforts in not only dressing in male garb but also learning the Arabic language (as well as many others), and converting to Islam was the epitome of Western Imperialism. Honestly, when I examine myself and what I stand for I would like to possess some of the same traits of Isabelle Eberhardt. Many women of have objected to societal norms and succeeded, but none have done it in such a way.

To me, Eberhardt does not get the praise she deserves. When I originally read this story I had idea who she was, but I did know other significant female figures like Rosa Parks. Maybe this is because Eberhardt is more of a "foreign" figure, but either way I still think that she held significant value to women all over. Eberhardt is comparable to Rosa Parks for they both have defied the norm and stood up (or sat down) for what they thought was wrong.

Do you believe that Eberhardt's efforts were significant enough to be more recognizable?

Women and Western Imperialism

Isabelle Eberhardt: The Passionate Nomad