Subject Area
History
Description
World’s fairs are places of innovation, culture, and technology. They are places where visitors go to be wowed by the innovations of other countries, but do they have a deeper meaning? In this thesis I will argue that world’s fairs serve a purpose beyond the sharing of culture and innovation. They allow national commissions to control the narrative of their country through a careful curation of displays that meet the objectives of their government. Countries’ objectives at world’s fairs change all the time, depending on their position in the world and what serves their best interest. The fairs themselves each have a specific purpose depending on the agenda of host and visiting countries, which can be economic, political, diplomatic, or peace-driven. Using the relationship between Japan and the United States as a case study, I will examine Japan’s displays at the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco and the 1939-1940 New York World’s Fair. Japan’s relationship with the US was different during these times, so it will analyze further how these differences affected Japan’s self-presentation in its displays. Information and pictures of Japan’s exhibits were found at the San Francisco Public Library and the New York City Public Library. The chapters will take a look at why America was so attached to traditional Japanese culture, and how this was advantageous to Japan, both commercially and diplomatically. Using American newspapers, like the San Francisco Chronicle and the New York Times the thesis will explain American reception to Japanese exhibits as this is an important factor in determining whether Japan’s objective at each fair was successful. I determine that international events such as world’s fairs and the Olympics serve as diplomatic tools for countries to project specific images of themselves to the world to meet their agendas.
Publisher
Providence College
Academic Year
2025-2026
Date
Spring 2026
Type
Thesis
Format
Text
.pdf (text under image)
Language
English
Start Date
3-21-2026 1:00 PM
