Contested Statues and Monuments
How to settle disputes over representation in public places

Can a statue be offensive, objectionable or even violent? And who decides what to do with such a monument? In this episode, I speak with Jadé Botha, a Ph.D. researcher at the European University Institute who previously worked for the Contested Histories Initiative.

We discuss case studies from around the world, including the Edward Colston statue in Bristol and Mussolini’s bas-relief in Bolzano, and explore how community involvement and contextualization can offer alternatives to removal. 

Meet the guest 
Jadé Botha grew up in Cape Town and finished high school in Armenia through United World Colleges. Previously, she studied in Leiden and Amsterdam and currently, she is a PhD Researcher in International Law at the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence. Her research interests are transitional justice and international criminal law - and at the EUI she is part of the Cultural Heritage Working Group. You can follow her on LinkedIn or through her profile on the EUI page! 

Recommendation of the Week
Jadé recommends three things: 

1. The website of the Contested Histories Project, to explore the full collection of case studies. 
2. Read‘ Contested Histories in Public Spaces: Principles, Processes, Best Practices’  
3. Last, but definitely not least: look around you if you walk through cities! Look at the names of streets, statues and everything that is (not) represented around you…

Enjoy the episode!  

Saluti, 

Vincent