Dan Hicks, a professor at the University of Oxford and curator at the Pitt Rivers Museum, addresses the colonial legacy of museum collections in his book 'Every Monument Will Fall'. Far from merely surveying public statues, Hicks critiques the concept of 'militarist-realism', encompassing corporate-militarist imperialism and the violent histories reflected in artifacts. He illuminates the colonial origins of objects, emphasizing the discomfort of military histories and their implications. 'Every Monument Will Fall' seeks to provoke discussion on the cultural politics of collecting, urging readers to confront repressed traumas associated with these items.
Hicks defines militarist-realism as a corporate-militarist imperialism, reflecting on the colonialist narratives embedded within museum collections and public monuments.
In tackling the colonial history of the Pitt Rivers collections, Hicks raises uncomfortable truths about military violence and its enduring impact on museum artifacts.
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