Transnational Modernity in Southern Europe

<p>This book explores women’s editorial and salon activities in Southern Europe and provides a comparative view of their practices. It argues that women in Spain Italy Portugal and Greece used their double role as editors and <i>salonnières</i> to engage with foreign cultures launch the careers of promising young authors and advocate for modernization and social change. By examining a neglected body of periodicals edited between 1860 and 1920 this book sets out to explore women’s editorial agendas and their interest in creating a connection between salon life and the print press. What purpose did this connection serve? How did women editors use their periodicals and their salons to create opportunities for cross-cultural exchange? In what ways did women use their double role as editors and <i>salonnières</i> to promote modernization and social progress in Southern Europe? By addressing these questions this monograph contributes to the recent expansion of scholarship on nineteenth and twentieth-century periodicals and opens new avenues for theoretical reflection on European modernity. It also invites scholars and non-specialist readers to question the center vs. periphery model and to consider Southern European counties as cultural hubs in their own right. </p>