Browse Exhibits (2 total)
Soldiers, Sailors, and Slavery, Oh My: The Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument and Chains of the American Past
The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument was designed to be a site of both honor and grief. Celebrating all men of Rhode Island who served and died, this monument would become notable for the inclusion of Black history through memorializing fallen colored soldiers in bronze both by name and figurative statue. While contributing to the space created for Black figures in the monumentscape, there are possible complications with how these men were represented and consequently consumed, obstructing the progress of Black individuals and freedom.
The Hiker Monument: White Manliness, US Imperialism, and Colonial Erasure
Kitson condensed the Spanish-American War, Philippine-American War, and China Relief Expedition by following the popular tradition of centering the white male American soldier as a representation of the whole US military. As it promotes notions of Western imperialism and white manliness, the Hiker does not represent non-white Americans that fought in these altercations. From this monument we cannot know a version of history that isn’t white and male-centered; in other words, we cannot know a version of history that is authentic.
As I proceed to discuss the Hiker in its many historical, racial, and gendered implications, I will describe its positioning within the space of Kennedy Plaza and subsequently focus on its representation of white manliness, US Imperialism, and the erasure of colonial violence.
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The Hiker Monument: White Manliness, US Imperialism, and Colonial Erasure
Kitson condensed the Spanish-American War, Philippine-American War, and China Relief Expedition by following the popular tradition of centering the white...