Colonialism Archives - Contested Histories

Columbus Monument in La Paz

Contested Histories Admin — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000

In August 2021, a group of Indigenous activists from La Paz climbed the Columbus statue in an attempt to tear it down. Although the statue still stands, protesters painted his face black and hammered off his nose. The National Police responded quickly and took five of them into custody. The statue, located in the heart of the city, was a gift from the Italian Bolivian community in 1925, on the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. This is not the first time the statue has been targeted. However, after this last attempt, it was surrounded by a metal wire fence while the City Council decided what to do with it. This case study analyses how Columbus’s contestations have evolved in Bolivia, particularly with the emergence of Indigenous movements.

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Cofiwch Dryweryn Graffiti and Copycats in Llanrhystud, Wales

Contested Histories Admin — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000

In 1965, the Tryweryn Valley was flooded by the English to create the Llyn Celyn Reservoir. The Valley was home to Capel Celyn, one of the last Welsh-only speaking communities. In the 1960s, Welsh culturalist Meic Stephens graffitied the words ‘Cofiwch Tryweryn,’ meaning ‘Remember Tryweryn,’ onto a wall outside Llanrhystud. This graffiti has been copied all over Wales since, becoming a symbol of Wales’ lost history and language. This monument has fallen victim to numerous acts of vandalism over the years, and there have been numerous attempts to protect it. For example, through attempts to make it a designated Welsh landmark. These formal attempts have been unsuccessful, however, and much has been left to the local community. This case study aims to illuminate how a simple message became a force of cultural resistance against English interference in Wales.

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ACTe Memorial in Point-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe

Contested Histories Admin — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 08:00:00 +0000

Inaugurated on May 10, 2015, the Memorial ACTe marked the realisation of a vision to deliver a world-leading centre for the memory of slavery in Guadeloupe. However, contested political ‘ownership’ plagued the project from the start and financial mismanagement has also jeopardised the MACTe, culminating in the dismissal of the director in August 2023 and a Court of Auditors Report in November 2023 that uncovered serious financial risks. At the time of this research, Investigations into the misuse of European Regional Development Funds have also been ongoing.

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Louis Faidherbe Statue & Landmarks in Saint-Louis

Paula — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 10:00:00 +0000

On September 5, 2017, a 126-year-old statue of Senegaal (Senegal) governor, Louis Faidherbe, collapsed after heavy rain and winds. The accident sparked a protest among activists and religious communities across Senegal. Minimising the extent of the protest, local authorities restored the statue within a few days, resulting in even more controversy, with debates on social media and in the local and international press. Demands to bring down the statue collided with local authorities’ fears of losing the UNESCO World Heritage Site status and subsidies from the French government.

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Macdonald Statue in Victoria

Paula — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 10:00:00 +0000

In August 2018, the Victoria City Council’s decision to remove a statue of Sir John A Macdonald, Canada’s first Prime Minister, from outside the City Hall sparked controversy due to the lack of transparency in the public consultation process. This case study explores how public consultation can shape the perception of controversial statues and how these decisions affect wider goals of historical reconciliation.

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Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria

Paula — Mon, 04 May 2026 10:00:00 +0000

The Voortrekker monument is a large granite building which represents Dutch settler nationalism in South Africa. It was built as an attempt to construct a narrative of Afrikaner nationalist pride, tying it in with a complicated legacy of colonialism and racial prejudice. It has thus been subject to criticism over its place in modern South Africa. Since the fall of apartheid, a counter-monument of Freedom Park has served to re-contextualise in physical space the distinctions drawn between settler and African identities. However, the legacy of the Voortrekker monument remains controversial. This case study shows the challenges of reckoning with the material histories of colonialist regimes in postcolonial nations and the challenges of addressing legacies of racism in post-apartheid societies.

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Rumours of War in Richmond, Virginia

Paula — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Almost a century after the last Confederate monument was erected in the heart of Richmond, the state capital of Virginia, a new counter-monument was installed in 2019 by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Modelled after its neighbouring Confederate statues, the equestrian statue of a Black man is a rare addition that serves to re-contextualise a space rife with contested monuments. This case study explores the role counter-monuments can play in the diversification of artistic representations in public spaces.

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Monument to the Flag in São Paulo

Paula — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000

The Monument to the Flags is a monument in São Paulo, Brazil, that commemorates the Bandeirantes Paulistas. A group of colonists explored the territory of the Portuguese colony as Brazil expanded its limits. The Monument, designed by Victor Brecheret, is one of the most significant statues in the state. The story of the Bandeirantes plays a significant role in the cultural and physical territory of São Paulo, and many regard them as ‘heroes and founding fathers’. However, the figure of the Bandeirantes started to be contested in the early 2010s due to the questionable way they treated natives and enslaved people during their expeditions. This case study examines the impact of the Monument on changing Brazilian society and the ongoing salience of its contestation process to the present day.

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Explorers’ Monument in Fremantle

Paula — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000

In February 1913, the killing of three settlers by Aboriginal people in 1864 was commemorated with the unveiling of the Explorers’ Monument. Yet the history remembered by the memorial was just one side of the story – its plaque failed to mention the deaths of almost 40 Aboriginal people by the three settlers and the punitive recovery expedition. In 1994, a second plaque was added to the monument, recognising the right of Aboriginal people to defend their land and commemorating all Aboriginal people who died in the invasion of Australia.

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Slave Auction Site Plaque in Charlottesville, Virginia

Paula — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 10:00:00 +0000

On February 6, 2020, a historical plaque marking the site of a slave auction went missing in Charlottesville, Virginia. For some residents, the removal of the plaque revived complaints about the inadequacy of the memorial; others felt the removal erased Black history. Five days later, police arrested a local activist who admitted he removed the plaque, calling its placement in the pavement insulting. Community members created a temporary memorial with flowers and signs at the original site. In response, Charlottesville’s City Council commissioned the Historic Resources Committee to evaluate how best to commemorate the location’s history. Following the Committee’s efforts on March 3, 2025, a new marker was unveiled that included expanded historical context and humanised the victims of the slave auctions. This case study highlights how the removal of a contested marker became an opportunity for deeper historical recognition of the legacy of slavery in Virginia.

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