Contested Memorials and the Discipleship of Christian Memory

Abstract

ABSTACT This article explores the contemporary challenge of contested memorials in civic and liturgical spaces. This exploration arises from an account of the purposes of Christian remembrance and the moral judgements inherent therein, asking how memorial artworks in general function as objects within this formational discipline, and identifying the inherent problems they may pose to contemporary historical and moral reflection. Lastly, the article contends with the particular problems posed by contested memorials, and the extent to which these cannot adequately be solved through a policy of retention.