The Psychic Lives of Statues

''The past is not even the past.' Faulkner's words peal like a clear bell in Rahul Rao's unimpeachable, erudite, jewel of a book on the politics of memorialisation. This beautifully written reckoning with history shines a clear light on how far and how tenaciously the shadows of colonialism reach into our lives in the present moment. The bright thread of the author's own experiences that runs through the book is both deeply engaging and humane. This is a necessary and vital piece of work'

-- Neel Mukherjee, Booker Prize shortlisted author of The Lives of Others

'This compulsively readable book clearly and forcefully lays out the stakes of the global debate over statues, monuments and other commemorative practices. It shows us that rather than a superficial skirmish in the culture wars, the struggle over statues is about how we live with and relate to one another, and the urgent fight over equality and dignity in the present'

-- Laleh Khalili, Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter

'Weaving together scholarship and personal insights, this book is a powerfully grounded and eminently thoughtful contribution to debates around race, caste, class and historical memory. At once considered and stimulating, Rao’s account of how we grapple with the imperial past and present will stay standing even as statues rise and fall over the coming decades'

-- Priyamvada Gopal, Professor of Postcolonial Studies, University of Cambridge

'In this beautiful book, Rao reminds us that there are long histories and complex attachments in play whenever people choose to erect or pull down statues. In a work that is both erudite and entertaining, we learn that no memorial is innocent - but humans want to remember. There is no better book on what statues are to public space and why it matters that we continue to think about them'

-- Gargi Bhattacharyya, Director of Sarah Parker Remond Centre for the Study of Racism and Racialisation, University College Lo