Statue Wars: Historical criminology, social memory and the ghosts of the past

• In Event: Cultural Criminology 2: Ghost Criminology, Dark Tourism & News Representation

Abstract

In recent years, public memorials have come under significant scrutiny in terms of their connections to dark pasts. In different parts of the world, statues have been removed from public spaces because of their subjects’ connections to issues including slavery, genocide, or colonial violence. Using a historical criminological framework, this research takes a long view that chronicles the statue of Sir Francis Drake in Plymouth, England. The research examines the life of Drake as 16th century slaver, explorer, and Admiral, and analyses the political and social contexts of the 1880s when his statue was erected on Plymouth Hoe to mark the 300th anniversary of his circumnavigation of the globe. Finally, a hauntological lens is used to discuss how statues can be seen to act as crypts that continue to connect us to the ghosts of the past. Through statues, traditions are created that invite the living to recall worlds they have not experienced. Yet, the social memories created around such public memorials are not always consistent – the subjects of statues can be valued or reviled in equal measure, and the hauntological approach can therefore confront the myriads of spectres circling the ongoing statue wars. This paper analyses the narratives from the popular press since the unveiling of the Drake statue in Plymouth and highlights the continuity and change in the dominant discourses which have helped shape and inform our social memory today.

Author

• Iain Channing, University of Plymouth