Memory and the Impact of Political Transformation in Public Space

“[A] timely and thought-provoking edited volume. . . . [N]either dogmatic nor simplistic. Each chapter, and the accompanying introductions, challenge readers to interrogate the ambivalence, contradictions, and wrenchingly oppositional debates that surround memory in the public sphere. In the end, it asks difficult questions and provides few answers, but stimulates a critical political and social debate for our times.” - Jane Marcus-Delgado , Arizona Journal of Hispanic Cultural Studies

“[A] useful volume of essays. . . . Taken as a whole they show how collective memory is fragile, contested, multiple, and that representations and silences alike are shaped by real historical experiences filtered through cultural repertoires and power. Turning the pages of the book we find perceptive case studies on monuments, memorials, museum exhibits, folkloric activity, and civic ritual. . . .” - Philip Smith , American Journal of Sociology

“[T]he book brings productive perspectives to bear on the interrelations between history and space, place and identity and expressions of power in the physical and built environment.”
- Margo Huxley , Urban Studies

“Despite being a book about the past, drawing on ideas of history and collective memory, this collection is exceptionally present-minded.” - Alan Gordon, Social History

“The quality of individual essays, is for the most part, very high, and the volume as a whole makes a noteworthy contribution. The essays cover a variety of aspects of public space in countries across the globe, yet the collection attains a sufficient unity due to a number of common themes.” - Paul Stangl , Geographical Review

"[A] smart and fresh introduction concerning issues of historical memory. . . . [A]ll of [the essays] are well-done, informative, and remain fresh. . . . [O]utstanding. . . ." - Michael Kammen , American Studies

“This outstanding collection of essays pushes the boundaries of our understanding of how memory is a powerful force in political transformations around the world. Informed by theoretical writings, but not weighed down by them, the authors tell compelling stories of struggles over memory in a wide range of places. This volume should be read and pondered not only by those thinking and writing about how societies remember but also by those planners and architects and politicians who are rushing to memorialize our own traumatic events.” - Max Page, author of The Creative Destruction of Manhattan, 1900–1940

“When issues of history and memory are publicly controversial, the controversy almost always takes a highly particular contextual form. Striking in its combination of intellectual depth and refreshingly concrete detail, this volume’s unique contribution is to invite reflection on how quite different situations speak to each other, suggesting more general insights that transcend particular contexts.” - Michael Frisch, author of Portraits in Steel