Controversial Monuments and Memorials
A Guide for Community Leaders
2nd Edition
Published on 5. September 2023
Book
Hardback
334 pages
978-1-5381-7381-7 (ISBN)
Description
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.
The revised edition tackles the great issues of our time against the backdrop of monument culture and historical truth.
Reviews / Votes
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 MuseumMore details
Series
Edition
2nd edition
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
44 b/w photos
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
638 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5381-7381-7 (9781538173817)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
09/2023
2nd Edition
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
€40.99
Available for download
Person
David B. Allison is a member of the Arts & History team at the City and County of Broomfield. He is the author of Living History: Effective Costumed Interpretation and Enactment at Museums and Historic Sites (2016) and has worked in museums for almost 20 years.
Getting his start in museums at Conner Prairie Interactive History Park, and with a nine-year tenure at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Allison seeks to connect with people to illuminate important stories.
Getting his start in museums at Conner Prairie Interactive History Park, and with a nine-year tenure at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Allison seeks to connect with people to illuminate important stories.
Content
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
LIST OF FIGURES
LIST OF TERMS
PREFACE
INTRODUCTION
Charlottesville, Memory and How to Read this Book
Part I: MUSEUMS, CONTROVERSY AND THE PAST
Chapter
History as Legend and Myth as Fact, David B. Allison
Confronting Confederate Monuments in the Twenty-First Century, Modupe Labode
History, Memory, and the Struggle for the Future, W. Todd Groce
"No Sooner Was It Over, than the Memory Made It Nobler", Bob BeattyPart II: THE CIVIL WAR, RECONSTRUCTION AND THE INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF RACISM
Chapter
Remembering the Civil War, David B. Allison
Memorializing the Confederate Past at Gettysburg During the Civil Rights and Cold War Era, Jill Ogline Titus
Tributes to the Past, Present, and Future: World War I-Era Confederate Memorialization in Virginia, Edited for Revised Edition, Thomas R. Seabrook
Don't Call Them Memorials, Julian C. Chambliss
A Lost Cause in the Bluegrass: Two Confederate Monuments in Lexington, Kentucky,Stuart W. Sanders
Challenging Historical Remembrance, Myth, and Identity: The Confederate Monuments Debate, Edited for Revised Edition, F. Sheffield Hale
Empty Pedestals: What should be done with Civic Monuments to the Confederacy and its Leaders?, Civil War TimesPart III: NATIVE PEOPLES AND WHITE-WASHED HISTORY
Chapter
From Columbus to Serra and Beyond, David B. Allison
Native Voices at Little Bighorn National Monument, Gerard Baker
The Removal of James Earle Fraser's Statue of Theodore Roosevelt from the American Museum of Natural History, William S. WalkerPart IV: IDENTITY POLITICS AND THE RATIONAL AND SYMPATHETIC MINDS
Chapter
15. Group Behavior, Self-examination and Clearing the Air around Controversial Issues,David B. Allison
16. Confederate Memorials: Choosing Futures for Our Past, A Veteran's Perspective,George McDaniel
17. Speech upon the Removal of Confederate Statues from New Orleans, May 19, 2017,Mitch Landrieu
18. A Reflection of Us: The Simpsons and Heroes of the Past, Edited for Revised Edition, Jose Zuniga
Part V: COMMUNITY RESPONSIVENESS AND HISTORICAL RE-CONTEXTUALIZATION
Chapter
19. "The Struggle to Overcome the Negatives of the Past": Germany'sVergangenheitsbewaeltigung and South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Program, DavidB. Allison
20. "We as Citizens....": Approaches to Memorialization by Sites of Conscience around the World, Edited for Revised Edition, Linda Norris
21. Monumental Relationships: International Monument Culture and the United States in the Early 21st Century, Laura A. Macaluso
22. Listening and Responding to Community: A Long View, David B. Allison
23. Confederate Statues at the University of Texas at Austin, Ben Wright
24. Honoring El Movimiento: the Chicano Movement in Colorado,JJ Lonsinger Rutherford
25. Not What's Broken; What's Healed: Women in El Barrio and the Healing Power of Community, Vanessa Cuervo Forero
26. Telling the Whole Story: Education and Interpretation in Support of #1 in Civil Rights: The African American Freedom Struggle in St. Louis, Elizabeth Pickard
27. Project Say Something's Whose Monument Project: Not Tearing Down History, But Building Up Hope, Brian Murphy
28. Changing of the Guard: Curating a New Conversation Around Colorado's Toppled Civil War Monument, Jason L. Hanson
CONCLUSION
Appendix
Bibliography
Index
About the Editor and Contributors
LIST OF FIGURES
LIST OF TERMS
PREFACE
INTRODUCTION
Charlottesville, Memory and How to Read this Book
Part I: MUSEUMS, CONTROVERSY AND THE PAST
Chapter
History as Legend and Myth as Fact, David B. Allison
Confronting Confederate Monuments in the Twenty-First Century, Modupe Labode
History, Memory, and the Struggle for the Future, W. Todd Groce
"No Sooner Was It Over, than the Memory Made It Nobler", Bob BeattyPart II: THE CIVIL WAR, RECONSTRUCTION AND THE INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF RACISM
Chapter
Remembering the Civil War, David B. Allison
Memorializing the Confederate Past at Gettysburg During the Civil Rights and Cold War Era, Jill Ogline Titus
Tributes to the Past, Present, and Future: World War I-Era Confederate Memorialization in Virginia, Edited for Revised Edition, Thomas R. Seabrook
Don't Call Them Memorials, Julian C. Chambliss
A Lost Cause in the Bluegrass: Two Confederate Monuments in Lexington, Kentucky,Stuart W. Sanders
Challenging Historical Remembrance, Myth, and Identity: The Confederate Monuments Debate, Edited for Revised Edition, F. Sheffield Hale
Empty Pedestals: What should be done with Civic Monuments to the Confederacy and its Leaders?, Civil War TimesPart III: NATIVE PEOPLES AND WHITE-WASHED HISTORY
Chapter
From Columbus to Serra and Beyond, David B. Allison
Native Voices at Little Bighorn National Monument, Gerard Baker
The Removal of James Earle Fraser's Statue of Theodore Roosevelt from the American Museum of Natural History, William S. WalkerPart IV: IDENTITY POLITICS AND THE RATIONAL AND SYMPATHETIC MINDS
Chapter
15. Group Behavior, Self-examination and Clearing the Air around Controversial Issues,David B. Allison
16. Confederate Memorials: Choosing Futures for Our Past, A Veteran's Perspective,George McDaniel
17. Speech upon the Removal of Confederate Statues from New Orleans, May 19, 2017,Mitch Landrieu
18. A Reflection of Us: The Simpsons and Heroes of the Past, Edited for Revised Edition, Jose Zuniga
Part V: COMMUNITY RESPONSIVENESS AND HISTORICAL RE-CONTEXTUALIZATION
Chapter
19. "The Struggle to Overcome the Negatives of the Past": Germany'sVergangenheitsbewaeltigung and South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Program, DavidB. Allison
20. "We as Citizens....": Approaches to Memorialization by Sites of Conscience around the World, Edited for Revised Edition, Linda Norris
21. Monumental Relationships: International Monument Culture and the United States in the Early 21st Century, Laura A. Macaluso
22. Listening and Responding to Community: A Long View, David B. Allison
23. Confederate Statues at the University of Texas at Austin, Ben Wright
24. Honoring El Movimiento: the Chicano Movement in Colorado,JJ Lonsinger Rutherford
25. Not What's Broken; What's Healed: Women in El Barrio and the Healing Power of Community, Vanessa Cuervo Forero
26. Telling the Whole Story: Education and Interpretation in Support of #1 in Civil Rights: The African American Freedom Struggle in St. Louis, Elizabeth Pickard
27. Project Say Something's Whose Monument Project: Not Tearing Down History, But Building Up Hope, Brian Murphy
28. Changing of the Guard: Curating a New Conversation Around Colorado's Toppled Civil War Monument, Jason L. Hanson
CONCLUSION
Appendix
Bibliography
Index
About the Editor and Contributors