This volume is a collection of contributions about the history and practice of travel and
travel writing from a variety of academic disciplines including anthropology history
linguistics and literary criticism. It brings together scholars from over ten different
countries and reflects on what travel is and how travel writings function. It traces the
history of travel and travel writing and the notion or idea of a European civilisation that
permeates performances and perceptions. The notion of Europe appears as a set of quality
standards as well as guidelines for experiences against which civilisations are measured. This
set of standards and guidelines however is far from stable. It is a floating foundation
carrying different versions of Europe throughout time. The authors tackle the problem from
different angles: travels from Europe across the seven oceans transported the idea of European
civilisation just as travels to Europe or within Europe. The volume explores the different
meanings attached to the term 'Europe' and 'civilisation' throughout history and shows how
different political or cultural contexts affect the notion of what Europe is or should be.
