Joanna Kumendong
Often described as the World’s “truly global gathering”, the World Expo is a place for nations to share ideas. Yet, how have global political developments influenced the representation of nations in these exhibitions?
The UAE is hosting Expo 2020, the first country in the MENASA region (Middle East, North Africa and South Asia) to do so. What first began as a global commerce hub, the Expo, also known as the World Fair or Exhibition, has transformed into a place where innovations, advancements, and arts from various cultures come together.
World Expos distinctly map the significant developments in global politics throughout time, from Industrial Capitalism, Imperialism to the Cold War era. Today, we observe the rise of the Global South in the UAE’s hosting of the Expo. This raises questions regarding representation, exhibitions and the realities of the current state of the world during the Expo.
World Expos sell, among other things, ideas about the relations of different countries. Global gatherings such as the Olympics or the FIFA World Cup are significant in reflecting and influencing global politics at the time. The World Expo, the 3rd largest global gathering, on top of promoting immediate economic interests, has also become significant in influencing domestic and foreign policy. Such events are effective because they have mass popular appeal and often a dramatic character. As suggested by anthropologist Eric Davis, “the World’s Fair was a response by political and business elites to changing domestic political and social conditions… at home or abroad.”
The Expo was first started in 1851, hosted by the British in the Crystal Palace. The host countries that followed include other global powers: UK, France, and the US. The World Expo in its conception was an engine for global trade in the 19th century; marked with industrial development, mass production, and commercial liberalization. Representations of the expo during this time are seen most often through country exhibits. These include industrial technologies and avant-garde monuments, like X-Ray machines, the television and the Eiffel Tower in 1889. As an example, The Palace of Engineering and Palace of Industries were the hallmark pavilions of the British Empire’s Exhibition in 1924.
Orientalist views of many countries, as a result of Imperialism, were seen in pavilions in the years 1876–1904. For example, for British-colonized India, pavilions at the Expo would mystify their civilizational heritage. An ethnographic display of Congo in the Belgian Expo of 1894 was populated by Congolese who became ‘scientific specimens to be measured, photographed, and studied’. The Louisiana fair in 1904 saw an ethnographic village populated by Africans and Pacific Islanders with similarly problematic activities. Fairs at this time sought to advance Western culture and persuade the general public of their Imperialistic foreign policy goals.
Such political contention became even more prevalent during the Cold War era, where America exerted its hegemony. Among many other efforts, the United States promoted liberalism, capitalism and democracy through the Expo. Notably, the 1939 expo in New York showcased ideas of democracy and consumerism. Coming out of the Great Depression, immersive advertising of General Motors, cigarettes, and corporate utopias were displayed. At this same fair, the Soviet Union showcased a productionist utopia with a pavilion filled with images of state-provided social benefits. The Sputnik spaceship was later on display. During this time, the Middle East, some of Asia and other countries were part of the non-aligned movement. Thus, exhibits from these countries during these years were often diminished. Global power dynamics and the politicization of the Expo during this time is clear.
As the world moved forward into the 21st century and further from large-scale global conflicts, the Expo has seen depolarization and subsequent depoliticization. Shanghai Expo in 2010 marked the beginning of the Expo reflecting the rise of the Global South. The lineup of countries bidding to host this year’s expo back in 2013 also consisted of emerging economies; including Turkey, Thailand, Brazil and Russia.
Despite the Covid-19 pandemic slowing down the economies of many, developing countries were seen with large pavilions this year, notably India’s, the second largest pavilion after the host country’s. This year’s Expo officially upholds the theme “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”. Reflecting on specific pavilions and the nature of this year’s expo being the largest gathering since the pandemic, we observe unprecedented interconnectivity and regathering. Are historically marginalized countries finally seeing their representation in the world’s sphere?
The Alef pavilion at Expo 2020 is an example of reflecting on the past, present and future of the world and of the host country. The pavilion showcases the UAE’s advancements in mobility-related fields from transportation, smart cities to space exploration. Echoing other sentiments, Chief Experience Officer of Expo 2020, Marjan Faraidooni says that, “We are proud that this must-see pavilion celebrates the Arab world as a leading light in mobility across the ages, changing perceptions of what this region has achieved.”
In observing the development of the World Expo throughout history, we can construct the relationships between reality, speculation and exhibition. While exhibitions tend to distort reality, a critical understanding of misrepresentations reveals the current states of the world. Coupled with a host of other pavilions and events happening in Dubai Expo, we can expect many exciting things happening until March 2022 and beyond.
