In early 1860, Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian of Austria arrived in Bahia on a short, but ultimately illuminating, visit to his cousin, Brazilian Emperor Pedro II. Published posthumously in English as Recollections of My Life (1868), this underused narrative recounts just eight days of a two-month journey. Despite the brevity of the trip, it nevertheless provides an insightful and oftentimes unexpected perspective, especially for a European aristocrat. Offering a detailed commentary on everything from science to slavery, food to fashion, the account also brings to light a colonial discourse rooted in Eurocentric notions of culture and race. Although repeating the well-worn verbiage common to those traveling in nineteenth century Brazil, this soon-to-be emperor of Mexico underscores the importance of individual agency in travel accounts. More than a simple travelogue or an “imaginative” construct, this essay will reveal how the travel experience itself can have a real-world impact on future events.

中文翻译：

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“在灿烂的金色阳光下”：马克西米利安大公在巴西的旅行，1860 年

1860 年初，奥地利大公斐迪南·马克西米利安 (Ferdinand Maximilian) 抵达巴伊亚，对他的堂兄巴西皇帝佩德罗二世进行了短暂但最终启发性的访问。这篇未充分利用的叙述以英语在死后作为 Recollections of My Life (1868) 出版，只讲述了两个月旅程中的八天。尽管这次旅行很短暂，但它提供了一个有见地且经常出人意料的视角，尤其是对于一位欧洲贵族而言。对从科学到奴隶制、食物到时尚的所有事物都进行了详细评论，该帐户还揭示了植根于以欧洲为中心的文化和种族观念的殖民话语。尽管重复了 19 世纪巴西旅行中常见的陈词滥调，但这位即将成为墨西哥皇帝的人强调了个人代理在旅行帐户中的重要性。