Erasure

#33

Lenin Statue in Belonia Town

India

By Contested Histories Initiative

The presence of the Lenin statue in the Indian town of Belonia has been a long-time subject of heated debate between the local Communist Party and the ruling Bharat Janatiya Party. After the BJP won seats in the area, unsettling the long-term rule of the area by the Communist Party,… Read More

Statue of emperor Napoleon's wife with head broken off in La Savane park on the French island of Martinique
#100

Statue of Joséphine de Beauharnais in Fort-de-France

Martinique

By Contested Histories Initiative July 2021

The statue of Napoleon’s first wife, first Empress of the French, lingered beheaded in Martinique, one of the remaining overseas territories of France. In July 2020 the Statue was permanently demolished. This case introduces the role of non-restoration as a memory policy to prevent and/or react to conflicts rooted in… Read More