The Middletons, Futurama, and Progressland: Disciplinary technology and temporal heterotopiain two New York world's fairs

Abstract

An investigation into world's fairs provides exemplar sites for the analysis of temporal heterotopias, defined as paradoxical places that employ multiple time‐narratives to affirm a dominant narrative. This essay emerges from a broader conversation begun with Michel Foucault's development of heterotopia. Drawing from his notion of places whose paradoxes reflect social order, the Westinghouse “Middletons” campaign and General Motors Futurama at the 1939‐40 New York World's Fair and the General Electric Carousel of Progress at the 1964‐65 New York World's Fair are examined. The goal is to unpack strategies of social order revealed in these temporal heterotopias. Opportunities to expand on the notion of temporal heterotopias in other research environments are discussed.