Alexandra David-Néel, nomade del pensiero e nello spazio geografico

Alexandra David-Néel, Nomad Thinker and Traveller

Alexandra David-Néel is a prominent figure in the field of studies on the history of women’s travel. She was born in Saint Mandé on October 24, 1868. She has been studied and celebrated as a feminist and oriental philosopher. She has become most famous for her journey to the holy city of Lhasa where she managed to enter in 1924, disguised as a beggar, after almost fourteen years spent in India, China, Japan, and other countries. The contribution we are presenting intends to address the relevance of this figure through two paths of analysis. The first is the reconstruction of the most significant moments of her biography, “staged” in her house-museum as an exceptional fact of conservation and enhancement. The second is the analysis of her travel-related production, whose contribution to geographical knowledge has not only been subjective but also scientific.

keywords: david-néel; house-museum; asia; geography