Dominant Beliefs: Study Abroad Is an Insignificant Pursuit by Wealthy Women

“La Dolce Semester,” heralded a recent New York Times headline about study abroad, ¹ conjuring up the image of the Grand Tour and reinforcing the belief that study abroad is a leisurely experience for the sake of general and genial cultural edification. At the same time, study abroad has been seen as primarily a woman’s pursuit. In this chapter, we will continue the process of archaeology, as Foucault would call it, delving into the role that women and their foreign education practices have played in building the episteme that study abroad is neither academically rigorous nor professionally relevant.