Conference 2023: Nationalism and World Fairs

The interaction between national self-proclamation, the commercialization of culture and an emerging entrepreneurial world order: that will be the topic for a conference to be held on 31 May – 1 June 2023, under the auspice of NISE, in Vienna.

Call for Papers

Starting with the London Great Exhibition of 1851, World Fairs have been an important
platform to showcase countries and their economic assets in an increasingly commerce-
driven international world order. As recent studies have demonstrated, the spectacular
display culture of world fairs has served as a platform for national self-proclamations for
empires, including their peripheral provinces and overseas colonies, existing nation-states,
and emerging new, post-colonial countries. Its pavilions mirror changing tastes, moving
between historicist grandeur, fairground arcade, vernacular traditionalism, technological
futurism.
The interaction between national self-proclamation, the commercialization of culture and an emerging entrepreneurial world order: this will be the main focus of the NISE Conference. We invite proposals from the historical and social sciences that delve into the complexity of world fairs. Topics may include (but are not limited to):
•World Fairs and the construction of national or imperial identity
•World fairs and the commercialization of (national) culture
•Capitalism, World Fairs and Nation-states
•Empire and World Fairs
•Competing (sub)national identities at world fairs
•Cultural and social practices at world fairs
•…

Keynote Speakers

The Keynote speakers are now confirmed: Eric Storm (Leiden University) and Marta Filipová (Masaryk University Brno) will honor us with their motivating and engaging presentations, challenging and inspiring the audience’s thinking and knowledge on the topic of “Nationalism and World Fairs”.

Click HERE to download the conference booklet.

Venue

The hosting institution is the Vienna University of Economics and Business, whose landmark modern campus is located adjacent to the famed Prater fairground, site of the 1873 Vienna World Fair.

Official dinner

All NISE members that participate in the conference will be invited to an official dinner on the evening of 31st May.

Contact

If you have any questions, please contact eva.bidania@nise.eu
Please note that all hours mentioned are Central European Time (CET)

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