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Assignment Instruction
In the first SGLP you considered the issue of social change over the past 50 to 60 years, both on an individual as well as societal level. You saw that many of the seemingly personal and intimate decisions we make on a day to day basis are actually heavily influenced by larger social forces. This awareness is what sociologists call the sociological imagination.
For this journal once again use your sociological imagination to examine the current tsunami of social awareness demanding widespread reform and social change to eliminate systemic racism so prevalent in our society. Read the background information provided on the removal of Confederate statues, and then reflect upon the role that monuments play in the social construction of race and understanding in society. Look at the issue through the lens of symbolic interaction.
Reflect upon the following points and formulate a response that summarizes your sociological analysis.
· What is the purpose of naming a public space after an individual, or erecting a statue in a town square?
· Is a statue ever value neutral? In what way do Confederate honorifics symbolize the values of the community?
· Does removing a statue or renaming a public space erase history and cultural heritage?
· Is preserving history different from commemorating and honoring a historical figure?
· The removal of Confederate symbols is occurring at an unprecedented pace since the death of George Floyd. How will the absence of these symbols influence society in the long-term?
