The Removal of Confederate Monuments: Reflections on Power and Privilege in Shared Spaces

Abstract

ObjectiveThis article considers the sociological perspective on the construction and removal of confederate monuments. Generally, monuments are believed to reflect the desire to honor and remember, however, often the decisions and viewpoints underpinning the creation of monuments are often more nuanced and complicated than the face‐value interpretation.MethodThe focus is a discussion of the sociological perspective on the creation of monuments and the removal of Civil War monuments in the United States.ResultsVinitsky‐Seroussi argues that commemoration can be explained by three factors: the political culture, timing of the commemoration, and power of the agents of memory. These three factors are applied to the removal of commemorative monuments and explore the cultural significance of “who,” “what,” and “how” is being remembered.ConclusionSociologists have a unique opportunity to use their understanding of group dynamics and relationships to empirically study the divisiveness present today with the ultimate goal of breaking it down and encouraging this reconciliation.