C — 17 “Human Zoo” — The Epitome Of Scientific Racism
By: Sanika Newaskar
Tags: BlackLivesMatter, Human Zoo, Racism, Zoo, White Supremacy

As bizarre as it sounds, this visual text of a human zoo exhibiting non-white “exotic” people, perfectly exemplifies the epitome of racism and dehumanization prevalent in the colonial era.

The above visual text titled “The Human Races” dates back to the early 20th century, representing a White Man, pointing and exhibiting some members of the Zulu warrior tribe in their stereotypical attire inside a cage, alongside a monkey, thus peaking heights of dehumanization.

In the quest of their ‘civilizing mission’, Europeans landed in the African subcontinent and were amused and intrigued to discover the exquisite tribal culture present in the region. In the name of science and entertainment, they captured many people of color and exhibited them in what was known as the “department of anthropology” back home, along with labels like “savage beasts” or “exotic animal curiosities.”

More than 20 million people attended the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis to witness the ‘primitive’, ‘exotic’ people and the sale of humanity. These “exhibits” were treated the way we treat animals in the zoo today. They were kept in a cage, with a fake “habitat” (huts and trees) and fed scarcely or if fed, fed by zoo visitors like how we feed the zebras. Some individuals even threw sharp objects at them. African tribal members were required to wear traditional clothing intended for the equatorial heat, even in freezing December temperatures, and Filipino villagers were made to perform a seasonal dog-eating ritual over and over to shock the audience. This deplorable act was not only racist but highly dehumanizing.

According to Europeans, these ‘savages’ were unworthy of humane treatment. Their lifestyles differed from the European standard of living, and thus the discrepancy was understood as an abnormality by European researchers. In 1904 famous German scientist, Eugen Fischer studied the anatomy of Africans and concluded that they were not just inferior, but as he put it, “animals”. The oppressors tried to justify their irrationality and propagate colonialism with the help of dubious science researches. Some eugenicists regarded multi-racial persons as “mongrels.” Thus Human Zoos did not stir the ethos of the class that could even justify something as inhuman as a genocide. Renowned media outlets published such justifications and normalized this strategic dehumanization.

Because, the Europeans were the center of all explorations, the people “Other” to them, or rather who did not identify as them, were marginalized and ostracized. For Europeans, the whites were the superior race, and it was their humane responsibility to civilize the other savages. This unsound belief was termed as ‘The White Man’s Burden’. Using scientific racism of such kind, they first dehumanized the “other” population, so that their oppression could be justified. Then, they practiced organized subjugation on them, so that even they start questioning their own existence. Carl Hagenbeck, a human rarities agent, bragged that during a ten-year period, he alone brought more than 900 indigenous people to the U.S. and Europe for the exhibition.

In today’s day and age, when even animal zoos are being reconsidered and criticized, the very thought of a Human Zoo troubles my mind. It is very important for us, to yet talk about such unsettling histories rather than brushing them under the rug, as it will help us acknowledge the white privilege present even today, and get well integrated with present-day reforms.