Viaggiare, nominare, ricordare: due sguardi sulle donne ai tempi del caucciù

The essay examines narratives of the Bolivian rubber boom (1880‑1920), arguing that they often erase the agency of Indigenous, Mestizo, and Criolla women. To challenge this bias, it analyzes two Amazonian travel diaries: one by Italian naturalist Luigi Balzan and another by Bolivian writer Rosa Oporto. Balzan’s scientific view records women anonymously, reflecting a male-centered perspective, while Oporto’s personal account names and humanizes the women she meets, offering sociological insight into gendered experiences within the rubber economy.