Ancient cancel cultures: The defacement of statues in America replicates a tradition going back millennia
Amid pleas for racial justice, protesters across the United States have mutilated hundreds of monuments. They have decapitated statues of Christopher Columbus, spray-painted graffiti on memorials to Robert E. Lee and mutilated tributes to Jefferson Davis.
As statues tumble, a national conversation has emerged about American monuments. For some, the defacement of monuments, particularly those dedicated to Confederate leaders, helps debunk myths of white supremacy. For others, their destruction equals vigilantism and lawlessness.
The result of months of protests over racial injustice and monument destruction may seem like a modern form of American political speech. It’s not.
As an anthropology professor and archaeologist who has written about how ancient peoples navigate their pasts, I believe it mirrors an age-old practice long used to discredit once revered people and repudiate once venerated ideas.