Overview

Comprehensively analyzing for the first time the phenomenon of ethnic living expositions in Italy between the 19th and 20th centuries, this book deals with the subject from a comparative European perspective and over the long term, studying analogies and differences in precedents as far back as the early modern age. The research, which seeks to go beyond the simplistic concept of ""human zoos,"" intends to highlight the intentions, assumptions, and mechanisms of realization of the exhibitions of exotic living humans and the reactions from both the exhibited subjects and the public, exploiting a wide variety of heterogeneous sources capable of bringing out a kind of widespread popular ethno-anthropological ideas and the elements of racism contained in it. The book contributes to the understanding of Western mindsets and attitudes towards human diversity as they emerge from mass spectacular events that have over time become an international business. The present edition refers to the second Italian edition, containing an update discussing studies on the subject that have appeared between 2013 and 2021. Ethnic Expositions in Italy intends to fill a historiographical gap and to align Italian historiographies with European ones, which have long since come to terms with this legacy of the past and have explored its various historical manifestations in depth. This book is an excellent source for researchers and students alike, as well as those interested in the mechanisms that have helped shape European ideas and sensibilities on race and ethno-anthropological diversity.

Full Product Details

Author:   Guido Abbattista
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
Weight:   0.453kg
ISBN:  

9781032119311

ISBN 10:   1032119314
Pages:   482
Publication Date:   22 March 2024
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  College/higher education ,  Professional & Vocational ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

Table of Contents

Contents Abbreviations Narratives about humans on exhibition Acknowledgments Editorial note Introduction 1. Words and things 2. Historiography: Human exhibitions 3. Historiography: The colonial experience 4. Distribution 5. A look at the present 6. Ten years later PART ONE I. From the beaches of the Red Sea to the banks of the River Po II. Exhibitions, colonies, otherness II.1. A long European story resulting from globalisation II. 2. The century of exhibitions: A world of shows and the spectacle of the world III. Turin 1884: ‘A snippet of African life in the heart of European life’ III.1 Arriving in third class, returning in first class: The Italian adventure of six Africans III. 2. Under the spotlight III.3. The other side of the coin: Racism with a human face III.4. The Assabian ‘ruse’: Political controversy and imaginative satirical humour. PART TWO IV. Palermo 1892 and Milan 1894 IV.1. Palermo 1892 IV.2. Milan 1894 V. Missionary exhibitions and ethno-exhibitions V.1. La Civiltà Cattolica and the world of exhibitions V.2. Nineteenth-century precedents and trends (1858–1906) V.3. Genoa 1892 V.4. Turin 1898 and further developments in the Fascist era VI. Show villages VI.1. General aspects VI.2. Between the Dinkas and the Wild West Show: Milan, Turin, and elsewhere, 1895–1906 VI.3 Turin 1898 and beyond VII. Exhibitions and science: From villages to the anatomical theatre VII.1. The ‘anatomy of the Negro’: Comparatism and racism VII.2. Anatomical findings and real lives VII.3. Forms of racism: Spectacular exhibitions, public health, and medical science VIII. ‘Reverse explorations’ and ‘Geography books in action’: Exhibitions and colonial villages in early twentieth-century Italy VIII.1. Turin 1902 VIII.2. Milan 1906 IX. From the fiftieth anniversary of Italian national unification to the wars (1911–1914) IX.1. Turin 1911 IX.2. Genoa 1914 X. Conclusion: Towards empire, racial laws, and the war (1920–1940) Illustrations Bibliography

Reviews

Author Information

Guido Abbattista is Professor of Modern History at the University of Trieste. He is a specialist in the cultural history of colonialism, imperialism and human diversity 18th-19th century. He published books on James Mill, Edmund Burke, Lord Bolingbroke, Anquetil-Duperron, abbé Raynal, the European view of China in the Enlightenment and living human ethno-exhibitions 18th-20th century.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions