As sites of transnational exchange, international expositions continue to interest historians from a variety of backgrounds, research interests, and disciplines. Yet too few scholars have considered the planning phase of exposition development. This panel looks to change that by bringing together four distinct perspectives on the role of international expositions in shaping national identities, labor relations, and diplomacy from the nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century. Drawing from diverse archival sources, each paper examines how these global events served as platforms for nations to project desired images of themselves, manage international and domestic challenges, and navigate the tension between tradition and modernity. To better understand the significance of world’s fair planning, this panel will examine four lesser-known cases and draw our attention to four different parts of the world. From Brazil to France and the United States to China, this panel will showcase an eclectic blend of primary source material that gives voice to marginalized populations and documents the struggle to maintain, or in some cases even construct, a sense of identity.

Lucie Prohin's paper represents the first serious consideration of labor and housing at nineteenth-century World's Fairs. By examining the living conditions and treatment of workers at the 1873 Vienna and 1905 Liège expositions, Prohin highlights the host countries' attempts to control and morally govern the working-class populations that crossed national borders for these events. James Fortuna's study assesses the reaction of local migrant populations to the involvement of Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany in the 1939 New York World's Fair. Through an exploration of local protests, ethnic sympathies, and the intervention of the US State Department, Fortuna provides insight into the tone and tenor of cultural diplomacy on the eve of World War II. In tracing the efforts of authoritarian regimes to sway public opinion in a democratic society, this paper reads the fair as a battleground for ideological conflict. Emma Laube's examination of the "Jade Show" in Republican China and its implications for the 1937 Paris Exposition sheds light on the strategic use of traditional handicrafts to navigate the challenges of modern national representation and economic modernization. Laube argues that the promotion of jade carving was not merely a nod to tradition but a deliberate strategy to align China with modern industrialization and thereby achieve international recognition. Constanza Robles Sepúlveda explores the 1922 International Exposition in Rio de Janeiro and highlights the tensions between the construction of identity, the maintenance of cultural heritage, and the pressures of international diplomacy. Robles’ work illustrates the ways in whichthese tensions were manifested in the exposition's architectural choices and public events.

Together, these papers provide a nuanced understanding of how world’s fair planning has reflected, and sometimes even shaped, the complex interrelations between nations, cultures, and political ideologies. By rigorously limiting the speaking time of our four panelists and chair, we anticipate having ample time for robust discussion and audience participation.