ABSTRACT
This part introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters. The part suggests that the ‘parallelisms’ and cultural coevalities projected by the exhibition only wound up supporting the centrality of Western ideologies of time, progress, and social and cultural evolution. Since the 1790s, the word ‘race’, signifying permanent hereditary differences between family groups, was considered an important factor in determining peculiar cultural characteristics. Anthropological discussions, extending beyond scientific debates to the popular press and mass entertainment, emphasized that aesthetic capability manifested in artistic productions helped to define degrees of cultural progress, and hence degrees of humanness.
