MARIE OCTAVIE COUDREAU AND THE EXPLORATION OF THE CANUMÃ RIVER

GEOGRAPHICAL IDEOLOGIES IN THE AMAZON AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 20TH CENTURY

Abstract

Predominantly male, travel accounts from the 19th century and early 20th century have gained prominence in investigations into the formulation and circulation of geographical knowledge. Within the framework of geographical ideologies, this article focuses on the perspectives concerning the non-hegemonic voices in such travel narratives. By focusing on travels to the Brazilian Amazon, a target of imperial interests involving science, politics, and territorial disputes, the exploration of the Frenchwoman Marie Octavie Coudreau (1867-1938) along the Canumã River in Southern Amazonia between 1905 and 1906 is investigated. Funded by the government of Amazonas, Coudreau mapped and described the geographical, economic, and ethnographic characteristics of the region, utilizing photography in constructing the imaginary of the Amazon. As a European traveler, whose formulations were marked by ethnocentric, racist, and determinist views, she worked for the political elites of Amazonas during the height of the rubber economy, contributing to a ‘civilizing’ project of the state government, which sought possible routes for economic outflow and territorial appropriation. Unintentionally, her work revealed the impact of the rubber economy, documenting the presence of indigenous and traditional peoples, migration dynamics, and conflicts arising from contact with non-natives. The investigation into Coudreau's journey and other non-hegemonic explorers ultimately contributes to a research agenda aiming for new perspectives on the study of women travelers, their scientific contributions, and the critical analysis of colonialism and imperialism.