Brown Bag Talk: Chris Fennell

"Grappling with Monuments of Oppression: Moving from Analysis to Activism"

I discuss methods for analyzing and addressing monuments of oppression. I first discuss general aspects of interpretative frameworks in which one can analyze the characteristics and impacts of oppressive monuments. Activist responses to such memorials include facets of restorative justice. I explore the workings of such monuments and responses to them in brief case studies drawn from locations in Germany, Italy, South Korea, Australia, Philippines, and South Africa. These case studies provide insights as to key facets at play in efforts to grapple with oppressive monuments and common themes and stratagems manifest in diverse initiatives.

Speaker bio: I am an anthropologist and lawyer, specializing in historical archaeology, diaspora studies, critical heritage studies, and legal and symbolic anthropology. My research addresses subjects in trans-Atlantic historical archaeology and the dynamics of social group affiliations and lifeways among Europeans, Africans, and various social groups in the Atlantic region. These initiatives include interpretative frameworks focusing on social group identities, ethnic group dynamics and racialization, diaspora studies, critical heritage studies, regional systems and commodity chains, stylistic and symbolic elements of material culture, consumption patterns, and analysis of craft and industrial enterprises.