Controversial Monuments and Memorials
A Guide for Community Leaders
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Published:5th Sep '23
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
The impetus for the first edition was violent actions---the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017, which was touched off by discussions about removing a statue to Robert E. Lee, and resulted in the death of Heather Heyer. Since the publication of the first edition, both history and democracy are being threatened in ways that we were only seeing small glimpses of in 2018. Today, attempts to elevate new or more complex history has been met with vilification. States across the country have passed legislation to ban critical race theory from being taught in public schools and are seeking ways to limit what teachers are allowed to teach about slavery and race in the United States. These threats are unlikely to abate. As such, our responsibility as historians, community leaders, museum professionals, and citizens is to redouble our efforts to share human stories in relatable ways and to exercise our rights and wield our power whenever and however we can.
The revised edition tackles the great issues of our time against the backdrop of monument culture and historical truth.
It's exciting to imagine the possible audiences and uses for this very readable book. With its multiple perspectives; local, national, and international scope; and blend of primary and secondary sources, it might interest students, instructors, practitioners, scholars, members of the general public, or politicians. The authors address this timely topic with historical knowledge and an understanding of reparative justice, explaining how monuments have often contributed to systemic racism and how they can be removed, replaced, or contextualized without erasing difficult histories. -- Amy Levin, English and Gender Studies, Northern Illinois University
History is messy and monuments to history are equally so. Are they representative of a community’s history? Do they encapsulate communal memories? Or, are they simply public art? Alison’s book is a reminder that not only do these pieces represent a view of history, but they also have a history of their own. This new edition of Controversial Monuments and Memorials offers museums and public historians a variety of perspectives and potential paths to dealing with monuments and the history that is attached to them. -- Heather Pressman, Director of Learning & Engagement, Historic Denver Inc.'s Molly Brown House Museum
ISBN: 9781538173824
Dimensions: 229mm x 153mm x 21mm
Weight: 535g
334 pages
2nd edition