Erasure Archives - Contested Histories

Victor Schœlcher Statues in Fort-de-France and Schœlcher

Contested Histories Admin — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 10:00:00 +0000

In May 2020, two statues of French administrator Victor Schoelcher were destroyed in Martinique by members of the local youth group Ligue de Défense Noire Africaine (LDNA/Black African Defence League). Despite being a celebrated figure for his role in abolishing slavery in the French colonies, Schoelcher’s legacy has come under increased contestation over the last decade. However, the toppling of these statues disguises a broader conversation that transcends the individual figure of Schoelcher, including enduring colonial legacies and the very telling of Martinique’s national history. This case study examines the reasons that motivated the attack on Shoelcher’s statues and the political authority’s response to these actions. It underscores the degree to which these events reflect conflicting top-down and bottom-up interpretations of Martinique’s national history, symbols, and memory.

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Lenin Statue in Belonia Town

Contested Histories Admin — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 10:00:00 +0000

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, the celebrations that followed saw the toppling of the Lenin statue by a mob. This case study explores how public memorialization can have political ramifications and how changes in government can exacerbate these tensions.

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Pillar of Shame

Paula — Wed, 31 Aug 2022 08:38:09 +0000

Hong Kong

By IHJR Research Team

August 2022

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Sebastián de Belálcazar Statue in Popayán

Paula — Mon, 02 May 2022 11:00:00 +0000

The statue of Sebastian de Belalcazar, erected in 1940 in Popayan, Colombia, was torn down in September 2020 during a wave of protests. Local indigenous communities had long considered the statue as the embodiment of the city’s colonial past, and a symbol of the continued impact on their lived experience. The initial response of civil society organisations and public figures to the demolition of the statue was overall positive. At the same time, local authorities condemned it as ‘vandalism’ and promised to rebuild the statue. A dialogue was initiated between indigenous and state officials a week after the events to negotiate its reconstruction and the construction of a second statue to commemorate the indigenous community, but it seems to have been fruitless. In January 2021, the monument was moved for restoration, and the contestation continues.

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Statue of Joséphine de Beauharnais in Fort-de-France

Contested Histories Admin — Sun, 04 Jul 2021 21:01:36 +0000

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 history. The passivity of authorities, in this case, might be supporting certain interpretations of history, related to colonialism and the reintroduction of slavery to the island.

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