The politics of World Expos | Express research

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Dear reader,   The World Expo 2020 is currently being held in Dubai. It is a historic event as for the first time a country from the Middle East is hosting what is often termed as the world’s first ‘truly global event’. For India too, the event is of significance, as it is to have the largest pavilion in the Expo, designed to showcase 75 years of Indian Independence. World Expos have historically been a platform for various countries to come together and exhibit innovations and developments in art, science and technology. From popcorn to ice cream cones, Coca-Cola, broadcast televisions, touch screens, the x-ray machine and a lot more made their debut at these international events. But they were also shaping and reflecting global politics of the times.   Our story this week takes a 170-year-old journey back to the moment that is often cited as the beginning of the world exhibition traditions — The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, held at London in 1851. This was a time when imperial colonisation was at its peak and the world exhibitions became a stage for the demonstration of products acquired from the colonies and the kind of culture prevalent there. From the heyday of imperialism to the rise of American hegemony and the more recent emergence of the global south can all be distinctly mapped out in the way the World Expos are staged, who is hosting them and what is put on display.   Read the story: From imperial Britain to the rising Middle East, the 170-year-journey of World Expos   Sincerely,   Adrija Roychowdhury

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