Empty Pedestals

Kofi Boone is the Joseph D. Moore Distinguished Professor and University Faculty Scholar in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning at North Carolina State University. He works in the overlap between landscape architecture and environmental justice, with specializations in democratic design and cultural landscapes. M. Elen Deming is professor of landscape architecture and director of the Doctor of Design program at the College of Design at North Carolina State University. She is an essayist and editor who considers how society shapes, and is in turn shaped by, its cultural landscapes.

"Through the diverse and transdisciplinary lenses of the essay authors, Kofi Boone and M. Elen Deming's excellent excavation of the meanings and narratives surrounding Confederate monuments shows that 'what you see--and what they mean--depends very much on who you are.' Importantly, the book aims to (re)center public design initiatives in local and historical contexts to help reclaim public spaces and their narratives."--Julian Agyeman, professor of urban and environmental policy and planning at Tufts University "The editors' multidisciplinary approach, coupled with the effort to foreground Black voices, sets Empty Pedestals apart from so many others that have attempted to explore the Lost Cause. . . . the use of numerous plates throughout the volume and the copious full-color illustrations make this vibrant volume especially attractive."--Journal of Southern History "Empty Pedestals grapple with past and present to show how the possibility of--and, in effect, the reality of--commemorative landscapes shaped by the subjugation and oppression of Black people can be "un-fixed" or undone. . . . As monuments are removed and empty pedestals are left standing, the built environment takes on a new patina--one of justice and hope. . . . Highly recommended."--CHOICE "Empty Pedestals is a profound collection of essays exploring the presence of polarizing monuments and their impact on the public psyche. The book should be read by all who desire to understand the qualities of civic space and new approaches to commemorative landscapes founded in acknowledgment of our shared but challenging history."--Diane Jones Allen, professor and director of the landscape architecture program at the University of Texas at Arlington "Symbols matter. They can inspire us or challenge us. Empty Pedestals is an in-depth examination of how symbols, and the spaces they occupy, relate to our communities, and in turn, how communities have responded to them. This engaging book captures the zeitgeist of our nation's recent reckoning with our complex history."--Scott Hutcheson, executive director, E Pluribus Unum