Mapping Confederate Icons and Their Contestation

Jocelyn J. Evans and Katherine Sims

Social Science Quarterly, 2021, vol. 102, issue 3, 1016-1031

Abstract: Objective In this article, we use racial threat theory to examine the contemporary debate over the place of Confederate memorials in the public square. Method We predict removal of Confederate iconography based on sociodemographic and organizational measures at the county level using logistic regression analysis. Results We find strong evidence to suggest that county characteristics involving urban density, minority presence, average per capita income, and historic patterns of racially motivated social organization do influence the decision to keep or remove Confederate memorials today. Conclusions This project speaks to the spatial politics of commemorative landmarks as focal points for broader struggles over the formation and maintenance of community memory and identity. It also sheds light on competing paths moving forward—one focused on stripping memorials away from the public square and the other focused on protecting them for posterity.

Date: 2021
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