Travel blogs, as narratives of identity, can provide a particularly apt insight into female solo travellers’ identity constructions and the narrative strategies they use to present these identities to their readers. Using an exploratory and qualitative approach, this paper aims at exploring the question of what kind of self-identity female solo travel bloggers construct and how they fashion it narratively.
This research goes beyond previous studies of weblogs as it identifies how identity is constructed by a particular sub-group of bloggers that has not been investigated before (female solo travellers). Moreover, it provides an overview of narrative strategies used in travel blogs defining the travel blog as its own literary genre.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction: Female Solo Travel Writers
2 Towards a Definition of the Travel Blog
2.1 Defining the Weblog
2.2 Defining Contemporary Travel Writing
2.3 Combining both Definitions: the Travel Blog as its own Literary Genre
3 Theorizing Narrative Identity in Travel Blogs
3.1 Identity in the Digital Age: Two Opposing Theories
3.1.1 The Postmodern Concept of Identity: the Fragmented Self
3.1.2 The Modern Concept of Identity Revisited: the Coherent Self
3.2 Self-Narration as a Form of Identity Construction
3.3 Travel Blogs as Narratives of Identity
4 Identity Construction in the Travel Blogs Young Adventuress and Creatrice Mondial
4.1 Narrative Analysis of Blog Posts
4.1.1 Ethnic Identity
4.1.1.1 Creatrice Mondial: “What it means to be Floridian”
4.1.1.2 Young Adventuress: “New Zealand and the rest of the World”
4.1.2 Gender Identity
4.1.2.1 Creatrice Mondial: “No one wants to be THAT girl/guy”
4.1.2.2 Young Adventuress: “Maybe I’m becoming a feminist after all”
4.1.3 Blogger Identity
4.1.3.1 Creatrice Mondial: “An Artist’s Rambling Soul”
4.1.3.2 Young Adventuress: “Have I introduced you to Business Liz yet?”
4.1.4 Traveller Identity
4.1.4.1 Creatrice Mondial: “Tourist or Travel[l]er?”
4.1.4.2 Young Adventuress: “The realities about travel[l]ing as an introvert”
4.2 Results
4.2.1 A Summary of the Sub-Identities presented in Creatrice Mondial
4.2.2 A Summary of the Sub-Identities presented in Young Adventuress
4.2.3 Comparing both Blogs with regard to Narrative Identity Construction
5 Conclusion
Research Objective and Topics
This thesis aims to explore how female solo travel bloggers construct their self-identity through narrative strategies within their travel blogs. By analyzing specific blog samples, the research investigates the intersection of digital media, travel writing, and identity negotiation.
- The construction of identity through narrative self-exploration in travel blogs.
- A comparative analysis of how two different female solo travel bloggers fashion their identities.
- The identification of narrative strategies used to manage sub-identities such as ethnic, gender, blogger, and traveller identity.
- The influence of audience size and the digital medium on the blogger’s self-presentation.
Excerpt from the Book
4.1.1.1 Creatrice Mondial: “What it means to be Floridian”
With regard to ethnic awareness, Amy uses multiple labels when referring to her ethnicity, all rooted in her American citizenship as she labels herself as an “American” (11). She has an American mindset since she uses America as a standard of comparison, for example when she presumes that everyone else in the world celebrates Veterans Day as they do in the US (34). First and foremost, however, she considers herself to be a “Floridian” thus establishing a definitive state identity (10). Her self-identification as a Floridian is emphasized by a variety of narrative strategies. She uses the personal pronoun “we” and the possessive pronoun “us” to refer to herself as a member of the Florida community. In addition, she hyperlinks to “fellow Floridians” and even mentions her Floridian identity in a blog post title: “What it means to be Floridian” (10).
Another blog post title highlights her association with her Southern heritage and establishes another ethnic label for herself as “Southern” (23). Since she was born in the Midwest, she also considers the influence of her Midwestern background on her identity, but as she refers to the locals with the personal pronoun “they”, she does not identify as a “Midwestern” (22).
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: Female Solo Travel Writers: This chapter provides an introduction to the phenomenon of female solo travel writing and establishes the research goal of analyzing self-identity construction in travel blogs.
2 Towards a Definition of the Travel Blog: This chapter defines the travel blog as a unique literary genre by combining characteristics of the weblog and traditional contemporary travel writing.
3 Theorizing Narrative Identity in Travel Blogs: This chapter reviews theoretical models of identity in the digital age and explores the relationship between self-narration and identity construction.
4 Identity Construction in the Travel Blogs Young Adventuress and Creatrice Mondial: This central chapter presents a qualitative narrative analysis of two specific blogs, examining ethnic, gender, blogger, and traveller sub-identities.
5 Conclusion: This chapter summarizes the main findings of the thesis, suggests directions for future research, and notes limitations of the study.
Keywords
Female Solo Travel, Travel Blogs, Narrative Identity, Self-Exploration, Weblog, Digital Literature, Identity Construction, Gender Identity, Ethnic Identity, Blogger Identity, Traveller Identity, Narrative Strategies, Subjectification, Digital Media, Contemporary Travel Writing
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this thesis?
This work examines how female solo travel bloggers narratively construct their self-identities within their blogs by utilizing specific strategies derived from both digital and travel literature.
What are the core thematic fields analyzed?
The core themes include ethnic identity, gender identity, professional blogger identity, and the specific identity formed as a traveller.
What is the central research question?
The research asks what kind of self-identity female solo travel bloggers construct and through which narrative methods they represent these identities to their readers.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The study employs an exploratory, qualitative research approach, specifically utilizing the method of close reading on a selected sample of blog posts from two travel blogs.
What topics are discussed in the main part?
The main part analyzes how bloggers define themselves as ethnic subjects, gendered individuals, professional creators, and travellers, contrasting their digital self-presentation with their offline identities.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
The work is characterized by terms such as Narrative Identity, Female Solo Travel, Digital Literature, and Identity Construction.
How does the blogger's audience size influence identity construction?
The study investigates how a significantly larger audience, such as that of Young Adventuress, impacts the blogger's narrative strategies and identity presentation compared to a smaller audience.
How do the authors handle the intersection of reality and virtuality?
Both bloggers display a conflicted but interconnected relationship between their online and offline lives, often balancing the need for digital presence with the desire for authentic real-world experiences.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Marie-Kristin Hofmann (Autor:in), 2015, Constructing Identity. Narratives of Self-Exploration in Two Blogs of Female Solo Travellers, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/371649
