Should They Stay or Should They Go?:

Christine Yeats

doi:10.5130/phrj.v28i0.7512

Abstract

This contribution considers the current debates about the place of monuments, such as the statue of Captain Cook in Hyde Park, which reached a recent high point during the Black Lives Matter protests across Australia in mid 2020. While removing contentious statues from public view may address concerns about their unwanted presence, we must ensure that the contested history they embody is not also erased from society’s memory. We need to develop an acceptable framework for dealing with such monuments within their historical context. Ultimately, there is no single answer to the question: should the vestiges of flawed historical narratives stay or go? It depends on the circumstances of each case. But some things are clear. There is a need for Australia to redress historical and current wrongs against First Nations people.  

Highlights

Percy Bysshe Shelley and Horace Smith both wrote poems inspired by the announcement by the British Museum in 1817 that it had acquired a bust of the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramesses II, a fragment of a huge statue from the thirteenth century BCE
As Bruce Scates notes in his opinion piece ‘Call to topple monuments is an opportunity for debate’ this monument is an instance of what historian Graeme Davison called ‘the heroic age’ of colonial statuary
The Royal Australian Historical Society (RAHS) supports the establishment of a community-based process that could: determine the heritage significance of public statues, memorials or plaques in terms of the Burra Charter;[6] address, develop and communicate contemporary interpretations of public statues, memorials or plaques; and review and advise upon any formal applications made to civic authorities to alter, remove or destroy public statues, memorials or plaques

Summary

Introduction

Percy Bysshe Shelley and Horace Smith both wrote poems inspired by the announcement by the British Museum in 1817 that it had acquired a bust of the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramesses II, a fragment of a huge statue from the thirteenth century BCE. Debates about the place of monuments, such as the statue of Captain Cook in Sydney’s Hyde Park, reached a recent high point during the Black Lives Matter protests across Australia in mid 2020. Considered in this context it is hardly surprising that there are demands from Australia’s First Nations people and others for the Cook statue to be removed.

Results

Conclusion