War memorials

Abstract

This chapter explores the relationship between memorials and their locations, virtual and physical, with an emphasis on the importance of the latter for analysis. The main focus is on the interplay between the spatial, temporal and associative contexts of war memorials, and how the historian can explore these. Memorials both define and are defined by their locations. Where some memorials are seen to complement and be complemented by their environment, others exist in tension with their surroundings and generate controversy. Inadvertent juxtapositions can have an unintentional impact on how a memorial is read. The dialogue between memorial and location is thus examined in both geographical and discursive contexts, with specific examples drawn from Coventry, London and Staffordshire in the United Kingdom, as well as from Berlin and New York. © 2020 selection and editorial matter, Sarah Barber and Corinna M. Peniston-Bird; individual chapters, the contributors.