Monuments and Memories: An analysis of processes of Decolonisation in Bristol, UK and Fremantle, Australia

Abstract

["",""]This thesis has focused on two colonial monuments in both Australia and the UK respectively; The Explorers Monument in Fremantle, Western Australia and the statue of Edward Colston which was removed out of its plinth on the 7th June 2020. This thesis has provided an overview of how these monuments have become contested over time as new narratives and histories present a threat to the narratives in which the monuments were built. This research explains how both monuments have gone through the process of dialogical memorialization as differing opinions on the monuments are continually being put up for debate. To give focus to this debate, included in this research are five separate chapters: Individuals on the monuments and their histories, Black and Indigenous Culture, Critical Junctures occurring in society and Contemporary reflections. The sixth chapter explains the findings which are that differing opinions exist on colonial monuments and will continue to exist. These chapters have been used to give a wide scope to the research question; assess why the treatment of colonial monuments in UK/Australia demonstrates processes of decolonisation in the 21st Century? The fact that these opinions are contested and put up for debate explains that both Australian and British societies are becoming more and more decolonized. Bruce Scates has advocated for dialogical memorialization in how societies should deal with colonial statues in 2023. What this research has brought to light is that ‘the statue debate’ does not have to happen in one country and society alone. This research has by looking at two marginalized groups -Indigenous Australians and Black Britons, explained that the history of racism and injustice goes much further than ‘the statue debate’.