Stephen Spotte

Zoos in Postmodernism: Signs and Simulation Stephen Spotte

Spotte treats public aquariums and zoological parks as cultural derivatives assessable using semiotics and Baudrillard's models of simulation. He concludes that only modernist zoos can exist in postmodern times, making captive animal displays anachronistic. Today's zoos, unable to evolve and compete with contemporary entertainments, can only be spectacles viewed passively.