Paper short abstract:

The paper deals with the practice of the displaying people of non-European origin in Riga’s parks and gardens that took place in the 19th/20th century when the accessibility of city's environment was influenced by the invisible walls - ethnic and social belonging of the city dwellers.

Paper long abstract:

At the end of 19th century and beginning of the 20th century, following the policy of colonialism and spirit of the modernism many European societies were familiar with the phenomena of displaying Otherness. The aim of live human exhibitions (= the practice to exhibit non–European ethnic groups – mostly the representatives of the African, American and Australian people) was to demonstrate the diversity of people within their cultural and lifestyle objects and activities. The shows took place in variety places of urban environment – ZOO, circus, EXPO pavilions, etc.

Riga as the industrial city of that time Russian empire hosted ethnographic shows offered by German, British or other origin impresario displaying them in the parks and gardens. Symbolic borders among political and economic elite from the one side and native people inspired by national awakening movement from the other shaped Riga’s urban environment and affected the availability of certain entertainments.

The aim of the study is to get an answer to the question – does the exhibition space (ZOO, Expo pavilion, public elite entertainment venue) have an impact on the audience's perception of the exhibited ethnic group (savages, barbarians, poor people)?