Spaces of Modernity: Ethnic Shows in Poznań, 1879–1914

Abstract

The focus of this article is on the ethnic shows organized in Poznań, a middle-sized European city that was part of the network of German Völkerschauen between 1879 and 1914. The author places the ethnic shows in the context of modern urban experience, where the establishment of zoological garden space enabled direct interactions between actors, animals, and the audience, thus creating a distinct sensory world, a kind of enclave within an urban landscape. Based on the local press coverage, the article tracks the changes over time in how the shows evolved in form, theme, and message when covering the expanding numbers of touring groups that provided live lessons of exotic people as entertainment. A close reading of varying accounts of the Polish- and German-language press indicates that some of the described episodes were perceived differently. The article presents ethnic shows from the vantage of the rapidly transforming city at the turn of the 20th century in accordance with the economic and cultural trends operating there.