ABSTRACT
Heritage sites and historical monuments are contested spaces and recent global conflicts over their meanings have reached levels not seen before. As protesters tear down monuments in the name of decolonization and racial justice, they express a demand for radical change, though, notably, what should be put in their place has not been clearly voiced. I see this ‘destruction without a plan’ as a call for complete renewal of heritage. The current moment illustrates the significance of heritage sites and acts but also a raw sense of frustration with worn out notions that the everyday struggles experienced by most people are not important, at least not important to the narratives of the nation. Instead, I see a call for a people's heritage that recognizes the historical significance of our own times, especially our traumas, and the ways these embody new narratives and detail challenges to existing frames of significance. I illustrate this argument by providing a brief history of the Confederate memorials along Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia.
