Civil War monuments, particularly Confederate monuments, have been lightning rods for controversy in recent years. A new collection of essays co-edited by Dr. Chris Mackowski, professor of journalism and mass communication at St. Bonaventure University, tackles some of the tough questions that stem from those controversies.
Civil War monuments, particularly Confederate monuments, have been lightning rods for controversy in recent years. A new collection of essays co-edited by Dr. Chris Mackowski, professor of journalism and mass communication at St. Bonaventure University, tackles some of the tough questions that stem from those controversies.
鈥淐ivil War Monuments and Memory: Favorite Stories and Fresh Perspectives from the Historians at Emerging Civil War,鈥 is co-edited with historian Jonathan Tracey and published by Savas Beatie. It is the fourth hardcover in the Emerging Civil War Tenth Anniversary Series, featuring nearly 35 essays by 28 historians.
The book begins with a basic primer that defines monuments, memorials, and other sorts of markers, Mackowski said.
鈥淭heir placement also makes a difference. In a public square versus on a battlefield versus in a cemetery 鈥 those contexts make a difference,鈥 Mackowski explains. 鈥淲hether a monument is publicly or privately funded makes a difference, too. Our essays try to explore many of these specific issues that have put monuments into the news today. Our book doesn鈥檛 have all the answers, but we do hope we offer a lot of food for thought.鈥
Mackowski said monuments have become the subject of controversy lately because there鈥檚 more to them than meets the eye.
鈥淢onuments can be useful learning tools in some situations,鈥 he says, 鈥渂ut they can also have multiple layers of meaning that can be celebratory to one group of people and quite hurtful to another group, all at the same time. And those groups might not understand each other鈥檚 perspectives.鈥
Any monument captures a particular version of history because of the story it tries to tell and commemorate.
鈥淭his is what we call 鈥榟istorical memory,鈥 which is different than 鈥榟istory,鈥欌 said Mackowski. 鈥淧eople like to remember history in specific ways. For instance, we might see statues of Abraham Lincoln that show him being inspirational or noble or even humanized. He was all those things, but he could also look awkward on a horse and he suffered from bouts of depression 鈥 yet we don鈥檛 see statues that depict those sides of him. Every statue or monument represents a deliberate choice to show things a certain way.鈥
The book includes a number of essays that show how historical memory works.
鈥淲e take a few familiar stories from the Civil War and show how they鈥檝e been misremembered and twisted a bit over time and what the implications of that are,鈥 he said.
Mackowski鈥檚 co-editor, Jon Tracey, works as a historian in Virginia鈥檚 Shenandoah Valley. He also chairs the editorial board for Emerging Civil War (ECW), an organization of more than 30 historians dedicated to sharing the story of the American Civil War. Mackowski serves as ECW鈥檚 editor in chief.
Mackowski is the author, co-author, or editor of more than 25 books on the Civil War. He teaches writing in St. Bonaventure鈥檚 Jandoli School of Communication, where he also serves as associate dean for undergraduate programs. He has taught at St. Bonaventure since the fall of 2000.
______________
About the University: The nation鈥檚 first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure University is a community committed to transforming the lives of our students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a lifelong commitment to service and citizenship. St. Bonaventure was named the #5 regional university value in the North in U.S. News and World Report鈥檚 2022 college rankings edition.