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• Mapping the Land of Headhunters: János Xántus in Borneo

  21-48

  Balázs Venkovits

  Views:

  110

  This article studies the travel account of János Xántus on Borneo, presenting the island based on his journey made in 1870. The paper examines how Xántus provides both Hungarian scientists and armchair travelers with fascinating descriptions of the island, often switching between different writing styles and using various tropes of travel writing. Borneo is portrayed not only as unfamiliar but also as uncivilized and particularly un-European. While providing accounts of this little-know area, Xántus does not simply involve binaries of Self and the Other but also reveals his views on European colonization and domination in the region, in particular, he contrasts English and Dutch systems of authority and control, favoring the former and criticizing the latter. Besides the discussion of European influence, the paper also deals with Xántus’ portrayal of the Dayak people. At the end of the article, a translation of excerpts from Xántus’ publication is provided, discussing Dayak (headhunting) traditions, the situation of Dayak women, slavery, and local customs.

• In het land van de koppensnellers* : De representatie van Borneo in de reisliteratuur van de 19de eeuw

  49-67

  Gábor Pusztai

  Views:

  152

  Borneo was regarded as a terra incognita for the European travelers in the 19th century. Only few of them could reach the island covered with jungle and even fewer of them wrote about their experiences. In the following study, I am trying to find an answer in travelogues written by 19th -century travelers to the question how Bornean natives were seen and presented by Europeans who ended up on the island. In other words, how the Other was represented in these works. I will compare this image of the Other with the representation of the Bornean natives as shown in the diary of a lesser-known Hungarian traveler, Xavér Ferenc Witti.

• Jenő Bánó: Travels of an Immigrant and his Path to Diplomacy

  109-130

  Balázs Venkovits

  Views:

  133

  This paper introduces a case study of Hungarian emigration to the Americas, which illustrates some of the general trends in migration at the turn of the century as well as a unique career path of a Hungarian immigrant in Mexico. By discussing and analyzing the life, diplomatic career, and publications of Jenő Bánó, the paper touches upon issues including the significance of travel writing in influencing migration, the use of migration propaganda, and relations between Hungary and the Americas.