Peoples on parade: exhibitions, empire, and anthropology in nineteenth-century Britain

Abstract

In May 1853, Charles Dickens paid a visit to the savages at Hyde Park Corner, an exhibition of thirteen imported Zulus performing cultural rites ranging from songs and dances to a witch-hunt and marriage ceremony. Dickens was not the only Londoner intrigued by these living savages: such shows proved to be some of the most popular public entertainments of their day. By the end of the century, performers were being imported by the hundreds and housed in purpose-built native villages for months at a time, delighting the masses and allowing scientists and journalists the opportunity to reflect on racial difference, foreign policy, slavery, missionary work, and empire. Peoples on Parade provides the first substantial overview of these human exhibitions in nineteenth-century Britain. Sadiah Qureshi tells the story of how such shows developed into commercially successful entertainments, their lasting scientific importance, and the diverse ways in which they were experienced and interpreted by the showmen, performers, and patrons. Through Qureshi's vibrant storytelling and stunning images, readers will see how human exhibitions have left behind an institutional legacy both in the formation of early anthropological inquiry and in the creation of broader public attitudes toward racial difference.