Abstract
By focusing on the Calcutta International Exhibition (Calcutta, 1883-84) and the
Colonial and Indian Exhibition (London, 1886-87), this paper suggests that
inanimate objects have a power to control the emotions of human beings. In these
exhibitions, a number of Indian objects contested pre-conceived notions of the
British jurors and audience about uncivilized India; decline of Indian craft. British
jurors found many exhibits “excellent”, “instructive examples”, “exotic”,
“perfect”, “remarkable”, “superior”. They acknowledged that the Europeans would
not be able to judge the exhibits. The main reason of the curiosity of British jurors
and audience was decontextualization of objects. Exhibits produced and consumed
in a context were displayed in another context. These curious things, which Indian
craftsmen produced, thus challenged the claims of British curators about their
superior knowledge and their ability to explain everything within scientific
framework.
Hussain Ahmad Khan. (2021) How things enable humans: Objects, Curiosity and Colonial Exhibitions (1880s), Journal of the Punjab University Historical Society, Volume 34, issue 2.
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