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Nationalism & Cosmopolitanism

in the Creation of Richmond’s Confederate Monuments

Join us for a virtual presentation from Donovan Schaefer, a Virginia Humanities Fellow, on his research project “Nationalism & Cosmopolitanism in the Creation of Richmond’s Confederate Monuments.”

Join us for a virtual presentation from Donovan Schaefer, a Virginia Humanities Fellow, on his research project “Nationalism & Cosmopolitanism in the Creation of Richmond’s Confederate Monuments.” Schaefer, an associate professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, used Library of Virginia records to research the history of Confederate commemoration in Virginia.

In the aftermath of the Civil War and the effort to reverse the equalizing effects of Reconstruction, white Southerners set about reasserting the prominence of the South as a nation. Their activities included the creation of monuments honoring prominent figures from the Confederacy. Richmond was an object of special interest in this project. In 50 years, the city was transfigured into an open-air temple complex for the worship of the Confederacy. Shaefer’s talk will draw on his research in the Library’s holdings, especially the records of the Lee Monument Association, to explore how white Southerners in the aftermath of Reconstruction sought to define their nation on the international stage by plugging into global art networks. The high-water mark of this strategy was the selection of Antonin Mercié as the sculptor for the Robert E. Lee monument, installed on what would become Monument Avenue in 1890.

This is a free event, but registration is required. For more information, contact education@lva.virginia.gov.

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