Throughout this course, we have been exposed to various legacies of the violence that has shaped our modern world. We have learnt of the violent nature by which our so-called “modern” nation-states have been constructed. We have learnt how revolutions have been responsible for inaugurating momentous change and how the New Zealand Land Wars have influenced modern legal and social institutions. Fundamentally, we have learn how the legacies of past violence has been instrumental in shaping our modern world, ideas and lifestyles.
Although some of these legacies are often acknowledged through memorials, celebrations or ritualized remembrance, their impact on modern society is rarely granted the same attention. To put it simply, conflicts don’t end. There may be a day that the swords are sheathed and the shooting stops but the consequences of that violence does not end with it. The surrender, ceasefire or treaty that ends a war may conclude the formalities of conflict, yet the institutions created or cemented with fire will exist long into the future. The legacies of these conflicts become ingrained into the social consciousness and rarely are their violent roots acknowledged.
Ostensibly, class inequality in Argentina, religious and racial intolerance in the Balkans, American exceptionalism, the marginalization of African Americans and Islamic extremism in the Middle East appear to be completely dissociated from each other. Indeed there manifestations appear to possess little resemblance, as poverty, border disputes, international politics, racism and terrorism seem to have little in common. The similarity in their causes, however, is far more evident as all of these have the same root cause: conflict. Borne from the Argentinian military junta during the Cold War, centuries of conflict and Ottoman colonialism, the American Revolution, Slavery and the American civil war and the Crusades respectively, all of these examples are based upon decades or even centuries of violence of the past. the consequences of conflicts, so often measured solely in death toll or monetary value are in reality far more diverse.
These consequences are far more rarely examined, as they simply lack the same visibility as destruction and death. they are the unseen consequences of the conflict, and as a result, the failure to address or understand them means they can often be more pervasive and persistent. The recent actions by members of the Black Lives Matter protests indicate this, as scenes such as the one below display vandalized and torn down monuments to the past. The Durham Confederate statue, pictured below, was once such example, being torn down by protesters in 2017 outraged by what it seemed to represent to them. To many, the statues are just monuments to the dead, a mere symbol which is respected and accepted. However, to others, such monuments take on a new meaning. They are a reminder of the conflicts of the past, persistent in our lives, a reminder not of the conflict, but rather the racism that continues to this day.
The legacy of conflict can live on. Inequality, whether based on race, class, religion or gender, persists through institutions of the past and with this, I would suggest we examine the institutions that exist to today and question if they are indeed proof of past inequality and ask ourselves what we can do to remedy the enduring legacy of such conflict.
I thought this was a thought provoking and original post – it certainly raises the issues with the memorialisation of historical action, and the way in which conflicts in our past are celebrated and remembered. “The legacies of these conflicts become ingrained into the social consciousness and rarely are their violent roots acknowledged.” is very true – a reminder that history and its preservation is portrayed through the eyes who have succeeded in conflict – those in a position of relative power. Effectively, the narrative is that of the ‘victors’ as opposed to the ‘vanquished’, in Hunger Games terminology. Colonialism, the effects of war and complex ideologies are not easily easily erased, and although the memory of our violent past can fade with time and successive generations, it can never be undone. Symbols of our often violent history and past conflicts such as statues, as you mention, are very interesting. There is contention as to whether they should be protected as historically significant, or whether their deeper meanings and the representation of perpetuated societal inequalities mean that they should be removed, as we create changes and forge the way to a more moral and egalitarian society. The solution to the “enduring legacy of such conflict” is certainly a timely issue, one that resonates with current events and movements such as the Black Lives Matter movement – I’m not sure what the answer is, but it is one to ponder as we protest the outdated institutions and ideologies that perpetuate various inequalities. Great post Gareth 🙂