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MEANINGS AND IMPACTS OF CONFEDERATE MONUMENTS IN THE U.S. SOUTH

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 November 2020

Lucy Britt ,
Emily Wager  and
Tyler Steelman
Lucy Britt*
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, UNCChapel Hill
Emily Wager
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, University of Houston
Tyler Steelman
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, UNCChapel Hill
*
Corresponding author: Lucy Britt, Department of Political Science, UNC Chapel Hill. 361 Hamilton Hall CB 3265 Chapel Hill, NC27599-3265. E-mail: [email protected].
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Abstract

How do citizens interpret contentious symbols that pervade their community? And what downstream effects does state protection of these symbols have on how citizens of different backgrounds feel they belong in their community? We approach these questions through the lens of race and Confederate monuments in the American South. We rely on two original surveys to illustrate 1) the symbolic meanings Americans attach to these monuments and 2) how state protection of them impacts residents’ feelings of belonging. We find that perceptions of Confederate monuments vary by race: White U.S. residents are drastically less likely to perceive them as symbolic of racial injustice than are Black U.S. residents. Further, state protection of Confederate monuments leads to a diminished sense of belonging among Blacks, while leaving Whites unaffected. This research moves beyond scholarship examining simple support for or opposition toward contentious symbols, developing a deeper understanding of what meaning those symbols can hold for individuals and what their impacts are on individuals’ feelings of belonging and engagement in their communities.

Keywords

Confederate MonumentsBelongingPolitical SymbolsAfrican AmericansRaceSouthern PoliticsSocial IdentityCommemoration
Type
State of the Art
Information
Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race , Volume 17 , Issue 1 , Spring 2020 , pp. 105 - 123
Copyright
© 2020 Hutchins Center for African and African American Research

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