Cross-temporal protests: the indexical role of monument contestation in times of unrest

This article explores the role of monument contestation, carried out via desecration and destruction, in unsettling the experience of time for people mobilizing for social justice. Drawing on 45 interviews with participants in the Chilean protests of 2019–2020 and an archival analysis of press reports and official documents, this article examines the wave of monument contestation that affected more than 64% of public monuments and the effects of these massive reactions on the historical consciousness. Chile experienced different forms of monuments’ alteration that challenged both the social experience of time and the traditional understanding of significant past events for those who participated in the demonstrations. This case illustrates the pivotal role of cultural meanings inscribed in monuments in troubling the social life of time. Toppling or questioning monuments produces an eventful break in time. It triggers an indexical process that illustrates the connection between activists and past events and their associations, triggering cross-temporal protests. Contesting monuments serves as an epistemological tool, erasing silences and showcasing the transformational potential of material culture in times of mobilization.