This course will focus on the ways certain monuments have become sites of contestation. From conflicts over religious monuments, to the statue-toppling protests of recent years, to the attacks on ancient historical structures by groups like the Taliban and Islamic State, built heritage embodies ideas and beliefs about social norms, belonging ideals and divine presence, for some, whilst signalling oppression, absence, exclusion and loss for others. Through a series of case studies, students will learn the complex histories of certain sites and the range of actions that various interest groups have taken to ‘resolve’ the conflicts.