In the aftermath of the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Americans remain divided over what to do with Confederate monuments that have sparked violent protests. Can ancient history help us find an answer? Dr. Christine Luckritz Marquis, assistant professor of church history at Union Presbyterian Seminary, is writing a book about violence among Egyptian ascetics in the desert and the desecration of a monument in Alexandria -- a practice that is known as “memory sanctions.” She spoke with Joe Slay about how her research helps us understand the power of statues, and what we should do with those of Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and other controversial heroes.

Christine Luckritz Marquis