Books like Hybrid Modernities by Patricia A. Morton

In *Hybrid Modernities*, Patricia A. Morton examines the 1931 International Colonial Exposition in Paris, a showcase of French colonial policy, architecture, and urban planning. The exposition presented colonial peoples, material culture, and manufactured goods, while simultaneously portraying the colonies as both the "Orient"—defined by sensuality, decadence, and irrationality—and the laboratory of Western rationality. Morton argues that the Exposition failed to separate colonizer and colonized realms, producing hybrids of French and native culture. The event also became a focal point for anti‑colonial resistance, including protests, anti‑colonial tracts, and a counter‑colonial surrealist exposition. Through this analysis, Morton shows that attempts to segregate France and its colonies were constantly undermined by the very hybrids that modern colonialism generated. Subjects include history, exhibitions, architecture, colonialism, Paris, and world fairs, reflecting the book’s focus on architectural history and colonial representation.

First publish date: 2000