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In this dissertation, I examine how foreign women writers and intellectuals were represented in Flanders during the interwar period. I also want to find out how these writers presented themselves. I start from the idea that actors in the literary field were influenced by their social - thus gendered - background. They were marked by power relations, social differences and generation gaps. The Flemish literary system was linked to that of neighbouring countries and languages. Topical matters and controversial issues were also closely connected with foreign affairs, developments and discussions. Research on the role of foreign authors and intellectuals and their influence on Flemish critics exposes the then controversial issues and the Flemish way of dealing with these questions. This dissertation assembles methods used in polysystem theory, translation studies, reception studies and discourse analysis. I combine an institutional approach with a textual one. The institutional approach considers networks, publishers, associations and editorial boards of magazines. The textual approach involves research on the discourse in literary journals and correspondences.