human zoo
Living people display
A human zoo is an exhibition displaying people—typically from colonized or indigenous populations—as ethnographic curiosities for Western audiences.
These displays were common at world's fairs and expositions from the mid-19th through early 20th centuries, presenting living people in constructed "native" environments.
The term now serves as historical indictment: The 1904 St. Louis World's Fair featured a human zoo of Filipino villagers.
Figuratively, any situation where people are gawked at or put on degrading display: The open-plan office felt like a human zoo.
Denying personhood to others
- objectificationReducing humans to things
- commodificationTransforming into sellable goods
- voyeurismErotic observation without consent
- freak showExhibition of human oddities
spectacle · profit · degradation · humiliation · captivity · entertainment · commercialization · sensationalism
Visually striking event
- displayPresentation for viewing
- enclosureConfined, bordered space
- viewingAct of watching something
- attractionPull toward something
curiosity · visitors · audience · pavilion · showcase · gallery · presentation · exhibit
Innate personal worth
- consentVoluntary agreement given
- autonomyIndependent decision-making capacity
- moralityRight and wrong principles
- respectRegard with honor
agency · welfare · justice · accountability · exploitation · dehumanization · objectification · captivity
Preformed unfavorable opinion
- discriminationUnjust differential treatment
- stereotypeFixed oversimplified notion
- supremacyHighest rank or power
- segregationForced separation by group
othering · scientific racism · social Darwinism · primitivism · savagery · exoticism · racial hierarchy · xenophobia
Extending dominion over others
- empireDomain under unified control
- subjugationForcing into submission
- conquestDefeating and seizing control
- colonizerOne who occupies foreign land
indigenous · native · civilization · missionaries · Eurocentrism · orientalism · hegemony · protectorate
dehumanization
Denying personhood to others
- objectificationReducing humans to things
- commodificationTransforming into sellable goods
- voyeurismErotic observation without consent
freak show · spectacle · profit · degradation · humiliation · captivity · entertainment · commercialization · sensationalism · demeaning
spectacle
Visually striking event
attraction · curiosity · visitors · audience · pavilion · showcase · gallery · presentation · exhibit · installation
dignity
Innate personal worth
- consentVoluntary agreement given
- autonomyIndependent decision-making capacity
- moralityRight and wrong principles
respect · agency · welfare · justice · accountability · exploitation · dehumanization · objectification · captivity · informed consent
prejudice
Preformed unfavorable opinion
- discriminationUnjust differential treatment
- stereotypeFixed oversimplified notion
- supremacyHighest rank or power
segregation · othering · scientific racism · social Darwinism · primitivism · savagery · exoticism · racial hierarchy · xenophobia · bigotry
imperialism
Extending dominion over others
- empireDomain under unified control
- subjugationForcing into submission
- conquestDefeating and seizing control
colonizer · indigenous · native · civilization · missionaries · Eurocentrism · orientalism · hegemony · protectorate · settler
human zoohuman rights
Inalienable personal freedoms
self-determination · human dignity · liberation · emancipation · freedom
human zoowildlife sanctuary
Protected area for animals
nature reserve · wildlife preserve · natural habitat · wilderness · national park
human, zoo, humans, humane, humanly, humanity, inhuman, inhumane, superhuman