“A Royal Geographical Society for Ladies”: The Lyceum Club and Women's Geographical Frontiers in Edwardian London

Abstract

This article reconstructs the history, organization, and campaigning function of the Geographical Circle of the Lyceum Club—a membership group that, under the leadership of Bessie Pullen-Burry (1858–1937), sought to promote and legitimize women's geographical work in early twentieth-century Britain. Through an examination of archival material and contemporary press coverage, I document the Geographical Circle's efforts to establish itself as a professional body for women geographers and to lobby for their admission to the Royal Geographical Society. Although considerable scholarly attention has been paid to women geographers’ individual contributions to the discipline, their cooperative, professionalizing endeavors have been comparatively neglected. In tracing the parallel history of the Circle as an example of women's self-organization, and of Pullen-Burry as an independent campaigner, I argue that a nuanced account of women's professionalization in geography demands attention to both individual and collective endeavors.

本文重新建构学园俱乐部的地理学圈的历史, 组织与倡议功能——它是一个会员制团体, 在贝西༎普伦—贝里 (1858-1937) 的领导之下, 试图提倡并正当化女性在二十纪早期英国的地理学工作。我透过检视档案材料与当代的新闻报导, 记录地理学圈将自身发展成为女性地理学者的专业团体, 并倡议允许女性进入皇家地理学会的努力。尽管已有大量学术研究关注女性地理学者对该领域的个人贡献, 她们共同合作且专业化的努力, 却相对而言受到忽略。我透过追溯该学圈作为女性自我组织的平行历史, 以及普伦—贝里作为独立的倡议者, 主张对于女性在地理学中的专业化之解释, 必须同时关注个人与集体的努力。

Este artículo reconstruye la historia, organización y función proselitista del Círculo Geográfico del Club del Liceo––grupo de afiliados que, bajo el liderazgo de Bessie Pullen-Burry (1858–1937), buscó promover y legitimar el trabajo geográfico de las mujeres en la Gran Bretaña de principios del siglo XX. A través del examen de materiales de archivo y cobertura contemporánea de la prensa, documento los esfuerzos del Círculo Geográfico por establecerse como un cuerpo profesional de mujeres geógrafas y para presionar por su admisión en la Real Sociedad Geográfica. Si bien es cierto que se ha concedido notable atención erudita a las contribuciones individuales de mujeres geógrafas a la disciplina, comparativamente sus empeños profesionalizantes cooperativos han sido soslayados. Al trazar la historia paralela del Círculo como un ejemplo de la auto-organización de las mujeres, y de Pullen Burry como luchador independiente, sostengo que un cabal relato sobre la profesionalización de las mujeres en geografía demanda atención para los empeños tanto individuales como colectivos.

Key Words:

• Bessie Pullen-Burry
• gender
• history of geography
• London
• Lyceum Club
• Royal Geographical Society
• women

关键词:

• 贝西༎普伦—贝里, 性别, 地理学的历史, 伦敦, 学园俱乐部, 皇家地理学会, 女性。

Palabras clave:

• Bessie Pullen–Burry
• género
• historia de la geografía
• Londres
• Club del Liceo
• Real Sociedad Geográfica
• mujeres

Acknowledgments

For their encouraging comments on an earlier version of this article, I should like to thank Heike Jöns and Janice Monk. I am grateful also for the generous and insightful suggestions offered by the two anonymous reviewers of this article.

Notes

¹ The British Newspaper Archive is available online at http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/; Papers Past at http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/; and Trove at http://trove.nla.gov.au/.

² Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers; hereafter RGS), Additional Papers, AP/93/2ii. Bessie Pullen-Burry to [John Scott Keltie], 29 June [1912].

³ RGS, Additional Papers, AP/93/2ii. Proposal to admit women as fellows, 21 November 1912, 2.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Innes M. Keighren

INNES M. KEIGHREN is Reader in Historical Geography in the Department of Geography at Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK. E-mail: [email protected]. He has research interests in in geography's disciplinary and discursive histories, in book history, and in the history of science.