Sultan To Sultan: Adventures among the Masai and other Tribes of East Africa; By M. French-Sheldon, `Bebe Bwana' (Exploring Travel) [Paperback]

Tracey Jean Boisseau (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Exploring Travel | Publication Date: December 10, 1999

First published in 1892 but still of interest to the contemporary reader, M. French-Sheldon's book dramatically describes her famous 1891 expedition that took her form the court of the Sultan of Zanzibar to the Mount Kilimanjaro region of East Africa. Unlike most women travelers of this period, the American-born French-Sheldon dressed extravagantly on her thousand-mile expedition, greeting African chiefs or "sultans" dressed as a "White Queen"--in a long white court dress bedecked with large jewels and wearing a waist-length blonde wig and sparkling tiara on her head. Consistently portraying herself as "alone," French-Sheldon was accompanied by a retinue of African porters numbering over one hundred and forty men whom she claimed to control through the whip, the pistol, and the injunction "Noli me tangere" (touch me not) which emblazoned a banner she flew from her walking stick. This sensationally written African adventure narrative is accompanied by a new critical introduction that explores the cultural context within which this text appeared and the political implications of the "imperial feminism" French-Sheldon espoused.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Tracey Jean Boisseau has recently received her Ph.D. in U.S. Women's History from Binghamton University in New York.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Manchester University Press (December 10, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0719051142
• ISBN-13: 978-0719051142
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,486,858 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating tale, August 30, 2003

By 

Kevin C. Dunn "k-d-" (upperstate newyork) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sultan To Sultan: Adventures among the Masai and other Tribes of East Africa; By M. French-Sheldon, `Bebe Bwana' (Exploring Travel) (Paperback)

This newly reprinted edition of May French-Sheldon's travel narrative is a fascinating historical document for those interested in exploring the intersection of gender, class, nation, and race within the colonial context. Boisseau's excellent introduction to the volume unpacks why French-Sheldon, her discourses, and her practices/performances are worthy of historical inquiry. French-Sheldon's text provides a fascinating look at how gender and racial boundaries were being defined, policed and contested during the rise of colonialism, feminism, and an expanding capitalist system. Bousseau's introduction and notes are superb.