The Exposition universelle held in Paris in 1900 was by far the largest and most popular of the pre-WWI international exhibitions. This presentation centres on the Paris International Assembly (in French: Ecole internationale de l’Exposition) as a hitherto neglected educational aspect of this exhibition. The Ecole internationale de l’Exposition was a multi-stream lecture series whose particularity lay in the fact that it was coordinated by an international team of organisers for an international audience. The Ecole internationale de l’Exposition addressed visitors from all backgrounds, although the educated middle classes were the main target group. The events aimed at informing about the branches of knowledge represented at the exhibition in a “synthetic and concrete” way and at spreading the spirit of fraternity among peoples. This presentation is based on a variety of published sources as well as a selection of archival documents left from the Ecole internationale de l’Exposition. Firstly, it will show how the Ecole internationale de l’Exposition grew out of activities organised at previous world exhibitions (special lectures for instructors, workers, students who were delegated to the exhibitions), further developing and internationalising them. Secondly, the presentation will reveal the organisational mechanics of the undertaking. An International Association for the Advancement of Science, Art and Education was founded as an organising body. While prominent French education administrators served as general managers, activities were run by distinct French, British, American, Belgian, Swiss, German, Russian and Canadian groups. Although this arrangement provided the project with a genuine international character, it allowed the French to set the agenda and to use it as a tool of cultural diplomacy. Thirdly, the presentation will connect the Ecole internationale de l’Exposition to pedagogies that were prominent around 1900. In particular, the enthusiasm for popular and social education, in France and elsewhere, tried to spread scientific knowledge beyond the confines of academia. It also connected to the French doctrine of solidarisme. By focusing on the Ecole internationale de l’Exposition as an instance of practical internationalism rooted in a specific place at a specific time, this presentation contributes to research on educational internationalism during the long nineteenth century.

This is a historical research project. It is based on the interpretation of text documents. These primary sources are on the one hand published sources. These include publications by the organisers of the Paris International Assembly, that is the International Association for the Advancement of Science, Art and Education and its French Group. They published, among others, conceptual pamphlets, programme booklets and retrospective reports. There was also an extensive reporting in newspapers and specialised periodicals, such as the Revue pédagogique. The presentation is also based on selected unpublished sources that have been retrieved in the Archives nationales de France and the Geheimes Staatsarchiv Preußischer Kulturbesitz.

This presentation on the Ecole internationale de l’Exposition/Paris International Assembly constitutes one episode of my book manuscript on education at nineteenth-century world exhibitions. It spotlight one particular instance of international cooperation on education at world exhibitions. I hope to introduce and sharpen the concept of “practical internationalism” through the lens of the studies Paris 1900 event.

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