(Director’s note: When I wrote to Clemson English colleague, Jonathan Beecher Field about contributing to this series, he said he was interested, but had already been contacted by several other venues for his insights, which I take to be a good sign in itself for Clemson Humanities Now. A few days ago, Jonathan circled back and proposed that I share this, his contribution for the Boston Review, on the politics of commemorative statues. This is Clemson Humanities Now.)
Bio: Jonathan Beecher Field is an associate professor of English at Clemson University. He was born in New England and educated in the midwest. He is the author of Errands into The Metropolis (UPNE, 2009) and Town Hall Meetings and the Death of Deliberation (Minnesota, 2019).