A Heritage of War, Conflict, and Commemoration

The introduction for the present issue of Change Over Time, this lead article discusses the five selected papers, providing a précis of each, and presents definitions for different types of war and conflict memorials. It then offers an overview of the history of memorialization, emphasizing the changing character of commemoration over time. Primary emphasis is on commemoration in the United States. The paper also touches upon related kinds of monuments, as well as presenting a summary of recent controversies over Civil War memorials and other forms of commemoration. A secondary emphasis is on the numbers and types of memorials and other markers and their distribution and how memorials are perceived over time. In addition to U.S. examples, Chapman discusses the commemoration of wars in Europe and elsewhere in the world, underscoring changing meaning and approaches. He also emphasizes shifting interpretations of commemorative sites and management issues pertaining to their maintenance and preservation.