The toppling of monuments globally in the last few years has highlighted the potency of monuments as dynamic and affectively-loaded participants in society. In the context of Ottawa, Canada’s capital city, monuments inspire colonial and imperial nostalgia, compelling visitors to consistently re-imagine Canada as a white, Anglophone nation, built through the labour of white men: politicians, soldiers, and businessmen. At the same time, Ottawa monuments allow for dominant affective relationships to the nation to be challenged, demonstrated through subtle and explicit forms of defacement and...
The toppling of monuments globally in the last few years has highlighted the potency of monuments as dynamic and affectively-loaded participants in so...