At the start of the new year, I want to share this email from Ted Lollis who has over the years collected a list of peace monuments both in the U.S. and globally. This is a great resource to share with students.
In the USA, 2015 saw four new monuments in California, two in Virginia, and one each in New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, and Pennsylvania. Outside the USA, there were new peace monuments in Argentina, Belgium, China, France, Germany, the Netherlands, the Philippines, South Africa, South Korea, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.
Two of the 2015 monuments represent Korean “Comfort Women.” The year ended with an agreement by Japan to create a one billion yen fund to benefit the 46 surviving Comfort Women, but payment may depend on the removal of a 2011 Comfort Women peace monument in Seoul, South Korea. See http://peace.maripo.com/p_comfort_women.htm.
Monument in Nanjing, China for Korean Comfort Women
The number of 22 new monuments is surprisingly low. Annual counts for 2009-2014 ranged from 32 to 45 and averaged 39 new peace monuments per year. Of course annual totals can increase if and when previously unknown monuments come to light.
If you know of a new or previously unknown peace monument anywhere in the world, please let me know. Thanks. (Ted can be reached at geovisual@comcast.net)
I am conflict resolution educator, peacebuilding trainer and career coach. My professional experience has spanned the legal, think tank, international, quasi-government, and higher and secondary education sectors. I have taught at all higher education levels: community college, 4-year undergraduate (private, public, religious), graduate, and international. In 2003-2004 I was a U.S. Fulbright Scholar teaching at the University of Tartu in Estonia. From 2005 -2012 I was a senior program officer and senior manager at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington where I managed programs for colleges and universities and developed training for faculty and students. I work with all groups and educational institutions to support peacebuilding awareness.
View all posts by David J. Smith
1 Comment