Don't academic researchers also turn the world into
a zoo, espeically those of us who do ethnography? Our aim is not to engineer
artificial situations to force certain types of behaviour for the voyeuristic
titilation of a remotely connected audience: but we do watch and explain how and
why people behave in certain contexts. Our motivations may be different - to
reveal the multiplicity of ways of making sense of the world and thus decenter
dominant narratives or to expose violence and injustice, for
instance: nonetheless, depending on context,
we may find that experience pleasurable.
That being so, do these reality TV programmes
provide any useful insights into human society? Or into the scholarly
endeavour?
Nick
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, June 05, 2005 7:21 PM
Subject: Re: Afro-Germans Protest African
Village in the ZOO]
I guess this is just one more step in the
'human zoo' tradition on UK/USA TV. The format where viewers get entertainment
from seeing (preferably as incompatible as possible) humans stuck together in
a confined space for as long as possible, 24/7 monitored by CCTV, until they
all but tear each other to bits (I'd be interested to see the first lawsuit
arising from a serious physical injury acquired this way, bet even now the US
lawyers are itching for something like that). Sadly we see these formats all
the time on the schedules, Celebrity Love island, Big brother, Wifeswap,
- maybe the logical conclusion of this is a real life 'Battle Royale', that
was the film where delinquent Japanese schoolkids are thinking they are going
on a school trip, in fact they end up on a remote island where only one will
survive, rules say all must try and killl each other (if they don't, collars
fitted to them will blow them all to bits at the stated time of end of the
game, or if they try and swim off the island).
For now, we must be content
with emotional slaughter and tearing to bits, has anyone done a study on the
long term effects on their ability to form / maintain relationships of the
competitors taking part in Big Brother etc.
Hillary Shaw, Geography,
University of Southampton
In a message dated 04/06/2005 12:16:53 GMT
Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
And just to prove I'm not entirely a cantankerous old bloke,
this should
intrigue at least some of you...
Jon Cloke
(Durham)
----- Original Message -----
From: Marika
Sherwood
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2005 9:19
PM
Subject: Fw: Afro-Germans Protest African Village in the ZOO
This
is difficult to believe. Please email your protest!!!!!!!
From:
Norbert Finzsch [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
I am a German
scholar of African American History and member of H-Net
Afro-Am. Today I
would like to direct your attention to something that is
going on in
Germany which, in my opinion, requires the consideration of the
international scholarly community. It is with utmost indignation that
the
African German community has taken notice of the plans to open
an "African
Village" within the zoo of Augsburg, Germany. The opening of
this exhibit is
scheduled for July 9 - July 12. 2005. "Artisans,
silversmiths, basket makers
and traditional hairdressers are situated in
an unique African steppe
landscape" according to the leaflets handed out
by the organizers of the
show. The conveners obviously are oblivious of
the fact that exhibits like
the one planned in Augsburg are organized
within the German tradition of
racist "ethnographic shows"
(Völkerschauen). A letter of reply by Ms.
Barbara Jantschke, PhD, from
the Augsburg Zoo, directed to an African Swiss
citizen underlines the
intention, to put Africans on display in the zoo
within "an
atmosphere of exotism".
It is obvious that the conveners do not
understand the historical
implications of their project. Even in Germany
the impact of colonialism and
racism on African societies are nowadays
debated in public. The way Africans
and African Americans in Germany are
perceived and discussed, the way they
are present on billboards and in
TV ads prove that the colonialist and
|racist gaze is still very much
alive in Germany. This is the direct result
of forty years of German
colonialism and twelve years of National Socialism.
People of color are
still seen as exotic objects (of desire), as basically
dehumanized
entities within the realm of animals. This also explains why a
zoo has
been selected as site for the exhibit. It is necessary to remind the
organizers that in the history of "ethnographic shows" African and
German
African individuals were used as object for anthropometric tests
and
ethnological investigations of highly questionable scientific
benefit. Many
of the artists who performed in these shows in the 1920s
and 1930s died from
malnutrition and as a consequence of bad living
conditions. The Nazis
employed a policy of eugenic control,
resulting in forced operations to
limit the biological reproduction of
African Germans or in downright
incarceration in concentration camps.
Survivors of this policy had to gain a
living as performers in exotic
shows. The Augsburg exhibit thus fails to
acknowledge the
political and social history of persecution in Nazi
Germany. The African
German community and concerned individuals like myself
call to your
attention the need to protest against the opening of the
exhibit in the
Augsburg Zoo.
Please direct your personalized letters of protest to
Frau Dr. Barbara
Jantschke (Director Zoo Augsburg)
at
[log in to unmask]
Thank you
Norbert
Finzsch
Professor of History and
Provost of the University of
Cologne
Anglo-Amerikanische Abteilung
Historisches
Seminar
Universität zu
Köln
Albertus-Magnus-Platz
Philosophikum
D 50923 Köln
Tel.
++49-221-470-2307
Email: [log in to unmask]
URL
http://www.uni-koeln.de/phil-fak/histsem/anglo/