World Fairs and their Heritage in 19th-Century Europe
Nationalisms and Internationalisms intertwined
Call for Submissions for one to two speakers and a chair for a panel at the annual conference of the British Society for the History of Science, July 8-10, 2025, in Cambridge, UK
We invite scholars to an engaging panel discussion at the BSHS annual conference on the heritage of World Fairs in Europe from the middle of the 19th to the early 20th centuries. These global exhibitions were more than mere celebrations of technology and progress; they were crucial stages for the participating countries (“nations”) to craft, perform, and promote narratives of national identity and internationalism under the flags of progress and Western ideas of epistemic superiority.
World Fairs offered a unique platform where countries could both assert their cultural and technological achievements and define themselves by setting themselves apart from their neighbours and contestants. This complex dance of nationalisms and internationalisms fostered unity through spectacle while simultaneously reinforcing hierarchies and nationalist sentiments. By examining aspects often regarded as peripheral, such as the spatial structure and location, architecture, music, and printed material, we aim to unravel how imperial ambitions, cultural superiority, and international dynamics were interwoven with exhibited national narratives—in ways that have echoed into the 21st century.
Our panel will explore:
- How World Fairs constructed and conveyed notions of internationalism, nationalism, and superiority.
- The legacy of these narratives in permanent cultural institutions, such as museums, and how these institutions have continued or adapted the modes of display and narratives first popularised by the fairs.
- How marginalised regions, small countries, and underrepresented voices were included, excluded, or appropriated in the discourse of national and international identity at World Fairs, and the impact of these dynamics on cultural identity debates today.
Despite their temporary nature, World Fairs had lasting implications, with parts of their exhibitions and ideologies transplanted into museums and public institutions. Yet, in today's debates on decolonising European heritage, the connection between these fairs and the persistence of narratives about cultural and scientific superiority remains underexamined. Our panel seeks to address this gap by offering multi-layered perspectives on the influence of World Fairs and their role in shaping the epistemic heritage of Europe.
We are especially interested in contributions that consider:
- Underrepresented regions and smaller countries whose participation in World Fairs has often been overlooked.
- How internationalism at World Fairs served both to unite and differentiate nations, constructing a global narrative that simultaneously promoted and complicated national identities.
- The circumstances of smaller World Fairs and similar international exhibitions that promote a country’s industrial, scientific, and technological achievements.
Interested in joining us?
We, that is, Professor Dr Signe Rotter-Broman and Dr Alexander Stoeger, both work on World Fairs and their role in nationalism and internationalism throughout the long 19th century. Coming from different fields, namely musicology and the history of science and knowledge, we aim to bring together a small group of researchers sharing these interests to exchange and broaden our perspective and develop new approaches to these fascinating events and their heritage.
If you are interested in participating in our panel, please send your proposal of no more than 250 words and a small description of yourself and your interest in participating in this panel to Alexander Stoeger (alexander.stoeger@uni-saarland.de) and Signe Rotter-Broman (rotter@udk-berlin.de). If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to contact us.
We are looking for one to two speakers and a chair who would like to comment on the presentations. The chair might have worked on this topic in the past, thus having a good grasp of the field and potential challenges, but who might not be currently involved in research on World Fairs.
Submissions from early career scholars are particularly welcome!
Submission Deadline: December 11, 2024
Notification of Decision: December 17, 2024
We plan to have at least one online meeting to get to know each other, exchange about our research, and discuss the conference panel.
About the conference:
We plan to submit the panel for the 2025 annual conference of the British Society for the History of Science, held July 8 to 10. We expect to have the panel abstract ready for submission for the conference call deadline in early January. It will include a small introduction and our abstracts (max. 250 words + contact information). We will organise the submission and pass everything to the other panel participants.
We expect the conference costs (including accommodation and meals) to be around 650£. The conference will be in-person, which means that participants will have to travel to Cambridge, UK. Unfortunately, we cannot provide travel grants, but we are happy to help find travel support for early careers.