The Everyday Life of Memorials

  The study of the everyday and memory studies are brought together in this book about memorials, such as those commemorating 9/11 and President Abraham Lincoln. Shanken, a professor of architecture at the University of California, Berkeley, explores the impact of these structures on daily life, outside of the times these sites are most often celebrated (holidays and anniversaries). He traces the history of these structures, from their introduction in the wake of the French Revolution through recent calls for the removal of Confederate monuments. Ultimately The Everyday Life of Memorials (Princeton University Press) explores the purpose, impact, and reactions to highlight the oddness of commemorative infrastructure in modern society.