Illustration of the Great Exhibition, London, 1851
WORLD'S FAIRS EXPOSed
by
Pam Dewey
Pam Dewey
Episode 1 - “Fair Enough: The "Great Exhibition," London, 1851
Episode 2 - “Yankee Doodle Palace: The New York World’s Fair, 1853-1854”
Episode 3 - “The ‘Happy Birthday’ World’s Fair: Visiting the Centennial Exhibition of 1876”
Episode 4 – “1893 Chicago World’s Fair, Part 1: Uncle Sam Welcomes the World”
This four-part presentation on world fairs by author, blogger and master videographer Pam Dewey is an outstanding exposé on the visual and material display of nations and cultures. Here is Pam’s description of her production contained in the YouTube posting of Episode 1:
“This is an introductory video to a DocuCommentary series entitled "WORLD'S FAIRS EXPOSed," which focuses primarily on the World's Fairs held in the United States since 1853. The London Great Exhibition of 1851 was the first ever World's Fair, and led directly to the establishment of periodic World's Fairs as a feature of American history for the next century and more. Each video in the series first provides an informative and entertaining overview of a specific fair from the point of view of the visitors of the era. Then it explores behind the scenes, to consider how the fair both reflected, and AFFECTED, the social, cultural, economic, political, and philosophical aspects of the America of its time. It also considers what long-lasting influence what particular fairs may have had on the future of the country up to the 21st century.”
While watching each episode, in the back of my mind, I kept trying to tie fairs, of all kinds, to culture. That is, culture as an anthropological concept.
The fairs, all of them touched on generally and specifically by Dewey, especially beginning in 1851, attempt to show material manifestations and representations of the beliefs, values, methods and products (the culture) of nations. Each seems to do so to various ends - education, national pride, internationalism, and others. Notable, I think, was the American omission of slavery in its exhibit at the 1851 fair in London.
But fairs also seem to have a role in enculturation, the learning of one’s culture, that parenting, schools, books, various media, anthropology monographs don't. They are highly sensory and experiential. They also have a generalizing, unifying societal goal to them, a goal that is usually achieved to one degree or another in every fair goer. Fairs also seem to have an astonishingly strong and deep impact on individuals who attend them. I seldom think of culture, cultures or societies displayed on grand unifying scales as they are at fairs.
I guess on one hand unifying a people, a nation or society, or even the world for that matter, at least for a short time ever few years through fairs, is a good thing. Well, if not a good thing then it is clearly not a bad thing. On the other hand, unless it contributes to ethnocentrism, jingoism, uber-nationalism, racism, militancy, etc.
For me, the best fairs are those that stress cosmopolitanism, globalism, and the accomplishments, shortcomings and noble unifying goals of Humankind as whole. In this regard consider the teachings of the Bahá'í, "the earth is one country, and mankind its citizens;" or Socrates who said "I am not an Athenian or a Greek, but a citizen of the world;" and later, similarly, Diogenes declared he too was "a citizen of the world."
I think national and world fairs are of better to service to Humankind as a whole than those that give priority to national pride boosterism and sci-tech accomplishments. That said, I’ve attended a number of trade fairs in Africa over the years that to some degree contributed to national pride and showcased the use and availability of science and technology as means of national and local community development.
I'm like many others. I like going to a fair ever so often but always come away a bit confused as to what impact they have had on me - awe, new knowledge, excitement, patriotism, propaganda. The purposes of fairs are as various as the people and institutions that stage them; and reactions are as varied as the people who attend them.
I like fairs yet feel a little manipulated or indoctrinated by them. That's a good thing. They unsettle me and that is usually a good state of mind for me to do some learning, and growing.
Enjoy!
JL
