#292
The Alamo. A Complex Historical Legacy
USA
By Ngoc Tram Nguyen •
United States By Ngoc Tram Nguyen December 2022… Read More
Resignification
#157
Maze Long Kesh
Northern Ireland
By Paula O’Donohoe •
Northern Ireland By Paula O’Donohoe October 2022… Read More
#10
Dr Karl Leuger Ring Street in Vienna
Austria
By Contested Histories Initiative •
In Vienna, over 160 streets bear the names of controversial historical figures. One of these streets, once called Dr-Karl-Leuger-Ring, was named after a prominent anti-Semitic agitator whose ideology inspired the dogmatic policies of Adolf Hitler. In 2011, an archival report investigated the acts of controversial historical figures with names in… Read More
#181
Harvard’s Legacy of Slavery in Cambridge, Massachusetts
USA
By Contested Histories Initiative • September, 2022
In the past decade, Harvard University has taken great strides to acknowledge the legacy of slavery on campus. Slavery provided an impetus for the creation of resources at Harvard, and several enslaved Black and Indigenous individuals of former university presidents even resided on campus at specific points. Centuries later, Harvard… Read More
#121
Shaheed Bhagat Singh Roundabout in Lahore
Pakistan
By Contested Histories Initiative •
Commonly known as Fawara Chowk (Fountain Roundabout), the formal name, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Chowk roundabout, has been the source of contestation since 2016. The roundabout is directly adjacent to the former prison where Sikh Marxist-Revolutionary Bhagat Singh was executed in 1931 by the British. Since then, the prison has been… Read More
#184
WWII Japanese American Memorial in Washington DC
USA
By Contested Histories Initiative •
The Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism During World War II in Washington, D.C., United States, is a monument to the 112,581 Japanese Americans incarcerated by the U.S. Government during World War II. It also commemorates Japanese Americans who served in the U.S. Military. The inscriptions in the memorial received criticism… Read More
#112
Mussert’s Wall in Lunteren
Netherlands
By Contested Histories Initiative •
In 1936, the Dutch fascist party NSB constructed a complex in the town of Lunteren called Mussert’s Wall (Muur van Mussert), where they would hold political rallies. After being neglected for decades after World War II, in 2015, a national discussion arose following requests by local and national heritage organisations… Read More
#130
Old Slave Market in Lagos
Portugal
By Contested Histories Initiative •
Hiding in plain sight in Lagos’ central square lies the Antigo Mercado de Escravos, the Old Slave Market, which hosts a unique museum. The building is situated in the square–formerly a beach–where enslaved people would once have been bought and sold, along with other goods such as ivory and Malagueta… Read More
#235
Jan Pieterszoon Coen Statue in Hoorn
The Netherlands
By Contested Histories Initiative •
Nicknamed the ‘Slaughterer of Banda,’ the figure of Jan Pieterszoon Coen has become increasingly contested in recent years. The statue of Jan Pieterszoon Coen in Hoorn has been a disputed monument since its unveiling in 1893. The statue has been smeared with red paint and graffiti numerous times in the… Read More
#213
Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis
USA
By Contested Histories Initiative •
In 2015, a citizen advisory committee including several Indigenous activists proposed that ‘Lake Calhoun’—christened for John C. Calhoun, antebellum politician, slavery advocate, and proponent of the Indian Removal Act—be restored to its original Dakota place name, ‘Bde Maka Ska’, meaning ‘White Earth Lake’. What followed was a contentious legal battle… Read More