Peter Hughes 
A History of Love and Hate in 21 Statues 

From antiquity to the present day, this book offers a fascinating insight into the histories, movements and conflicts which have come to shape our world, viewed through the stories of the destruction of 21 statues. 



Confederate soldiers hacked to pieces. A British slave trader dumped in the river. An Aboriginal warrior twice beheaded. A Chinese philosopher consumed by fire. A Greek goddess left to rot in the desert…

 


Statues stand as markers of collective memory connecting us to a shared sense of belonging.  When societies fracture into warring tribes, we convince ourselves that the past is irredeemably evil.   So, we tear down our statues. But what begins with the destruction of statues, ends with the killing of people.

 

This remarkable book is a
compelling history of love and hate spanning every continent, religion and era,
told through the destruction of 21 statues. Peter Hughes’ original approach, blending philosophy, psychology and history, explores how these symbols of our identity give us more than an understanding of our past. In the wars that rage around them,
 they may also hold the key to our future.



The 21 statues are
Hatshepsut (Ancient Egypt),
Nero (Suffolk, UK),
Athena (Syria),
Buddhas of Bamiyan (Afghanistan),
Hecate (Constantinople),
Our Lady of Caversham (near Reading, UK),
Huitzilopochtli (Mexico),
Confucius (China),
Louis XV (France),
Mendelssohn (Germany),
The Confederate Monument (US),
Sir John A. Macdonald (Canada),
Christopher Columbus (Venezuela),
Edward Colston (Bristol, UK),
Cecil Rhodes (South Africa),
George Washington (US),
Stalin (Hungary),
Yagan (Australia),
Saddam Hussein (Iraq),
B. R. Ambedkar
(India) and
Frederick Douglass (US).




A History of Love and Hate in 21 Statues is a profound and necessary meditation on identity which
resonates powerfully today as statues tumble around the world.

Mục lục

Introduction: Lone and Level Sands

Hatshepsut (Thebes, Egypt)

Nero (Colchester, UK)

Athena (Palmyra, Syria)

The Buddhas of Bamiyan (Bamiyan, Afghanistan)

Hecate (Constantinople, Byzantine Empire)

Our Lady of Caversham (Caversham, UK)

Huitzilopochtli (Tenochtitlan, Mexico)

Confucius (Qufu, China)

Louis XV (Paris, France)

Felix Mendelssohn (Leipzig, Germany)

The Confederate Monument (Portsmouth, Virginia, USA)

Sir John A. Macdonald (Montreal, Canada)

Edward Colston (Bristol, UK)

Christopher Columbus (Caracas, Venezuela)

Cecil Rhodes (Cape Town, South Africa)

George Washington (Portland, Oregon, USA)

Joseph Stalin (Budapest, Hungary)

Yagan (Perth, Australia)

Saddam Hussein (Baghdad, Iraq)

B.R. Ambedkar (Vederanyam, India)

Frederick Douglass (Rochester, New York, USA)

Epilogue: Khaled al-Asaad

Acknowledgements

Notes

Bibliography

Index

 

Giới thiệu về tác giả

Dr. Peter Hughes is a philosopher and psychologist with expertise in how individuals succumb to the madness of crowds. He has a Ph D in philosophy and is a member of the British Psychological Society. An experienced broadcaster, he has worked with extremes of human behaviour and his combination of academic expertise and real-world experience give him a unique perspective on the statue wars.
DR. PETER HUGHES is a philosopher and a member of the British Psychological Society. An expert in extremes of human behaviour, he has featured on the BBC, ABC Australia and numerous documentaries. He writes for publications including The Huffington Post, The Spectator, Quillette, Perspective Magazine and The New Statesman.