The statues misrepresent history, and glorify people who perpetuated slavery, attempted secession from United States, and lost the Civil War. Other statues of historic figures, such as slave-owning presidents or imperialists like Christopher Columbus, promote similar oppressive and revisionist messages.
Taking down a statue or changing a name does not mean removing that person from the history books or diminishing their contributions, but it does mean reshaping and reframing the conversation.
Statues are not history; they represent historical figures. They may have been set up to mark a person's historical contribution, but they are not themselves history.
They represent what people in the Past chose to celebrate and memorialise, they do not represent history. Indeed, teaching history is almost never the reason why they are erected. Instead, statues in public spaces since Antiquity have most typically been used to represent power and authority.
“Statues can teach us about history, but they do not convey some immutable truth from the past. Instead, they are symbolic of the fixed ideas of a specific community regarding its past, as captured at a particular point in time,” Simon John wrote in his Statues, Politics and The Past article published in History Today.
The statues misrepresent history, and glorify people who perpetuated slavery, attempted secession from United States, and lost the Civil War. The statues are a painful reminder of past and present institutionalized racism in the United States.
The correct statement after filling up the blanks is following - Historically, the main purpose of statues has been to commemorate rulers and other important individuals. The correct answer is a. The historical statues or monuments are created by several ancient civilizations.
A statue is more than its material content; statues carry the power of symbolism. By placing a statue at a public site, viewers are expected to honor and respect the person represented in larger-than-life-size bronze.
Not only do they represent a particular version of history, they also represent the power of that history and the fact that it is given prominence and authority.
Statuary monuments are landmarks. They help us understand our history, where the nation and the communities comprising it have been and what they've been through, the ideals to which they have subscribed, and the leaders they have revered. In some cases, the ideals they embody — as well as their beauty — are enduring.
The reason behind the removal of Chicago's two Christopher Columbus statues early Friday wasn't what some might think. According to a statement from the mayor's office hours after the statues were taken down, the move was actually was done in an effort to "protect public safety."
The statues misrepresent history, and glorify people who perpetuated slavery, attempted secession from United States, and lost the Civil War. Other statues of historic figures, such as slave-owning presidents or imperialists like Christopher Columbus, promote similar oppressive and revisionist messages.
I've been thinking about the concept of damnatio memoriae recently. Translated as “condemnation of memory,” the term refers to a practice associated with ancient rulers who called for the erasure of their predecessors from the historical record; their likeness removed from statues, monuments, coinage and texts.
The poll, from High Point University, found 58% of people think Confederate monuments should remain where they are, and 42% say they should be removed. During 2020, 168 Confederate monuments or symbols were removed from public spaces around the United States, including 24 in North Carolina.
The main aim of public memorials is to “remind” people by connecting them to the past, present and future. They often witness power struggles in order to underline different statements in all of these processes in the context of social memory.
They link the past to the present and enable people to remember and respect the sacrifice of those who died, fought, participated or were affected by conflict(s). Memorials can be an important source of information for young people in understanding the sacrifices made by past generations.
Definitions of Monument and Memorial: Monument is a structure, statue, or a building that is built to honor someone notable or a special event. Memorial is a structure or a statue that is built to remember a dead person or a group of people who died in an important past event.
Purpose. America owes its present greatness to its past sacrifices. Because the past is always at risk of being forgotten, monuments will always be needed to honor those who came before. Since the time of our founding, Americans have raised monuments to our greatest citizens.
Both paintings and sculptures serve a decorative purpose, and paintings are more accessible in this regard. So, when it comes down to versatility, painting is far superior. It can be much more difficult to display a sculpture, as they are often large and difficult to transport.
The Löwenmensch figurine and the Venus of Hohle Fels, both from Germany, are the oldest confirmed statuettes in the world, dating to 35,000-40,000 years ago. The oldest known life-sized statue is Urfa Man found in Turkey which is dated to around 9,000 BC.
Memorials and monuments are designed to convey forceful messages about the events or individuals they commemorate. Each has embedded in it a particular perspective, an interpretation, a set of values or judgments.
When we see something that exists in real life, there are many different ways to display imagery and importance using art.
The National Trust now supports removing such monuments from public spaces and relocating them to museums or other places where they can be contextualized and reinterpreted.
So the question of history being lost, if statues or monuments are taken down, is a resounding yes. In fact, once a statue or monument is removed, it is hard to bring it back. A good example is the loss of history in Syria of the ancient city of Palmyra which was destroyed by Islamic State.