{"product_id":"the-psychic-lives-of-statues-reckoning-with-the-rubble-of-empire-2","title":"The Psychic Lives of Statues: Reckoning with the Rubble of Empire","description":"\u003cp\u003eby Rahul Rao\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePluto Press\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e6\/20\/2026, paperback\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSKU: 9780745350783\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStatues around the world have become lightning rods for public debates over the meaning of our imperial past and postcolonial present.\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eThe Psychic Lives of Statues\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis an insightful exploration of these global controversies, demonstrating that beneath their surface lie deeper struggles over race, caste and the politics of decolonisation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRahul Rao takes readers on an international journey, revealing how these controversies have dramatically rearranged anticolonial political thought through the multifaceted lenses of justice, cultural memory and belonging.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Psychic Lives of Statues\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eexplores both the toppling of colonial statues and the erection of postcolonial ones, illuminating how statues remain powerful and compelling forms of memorialisation. Engaging with artists, scholars and activists, Rao offers a fresh and exciting perspective on how we understand our past and present through iconography.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReviews:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"\u003cspan\u003eThe past is not even the past.' Faulkner's words peal like a clear bell in Rahul Rao's unimpeachable, erudite, jewel of a book on the politics of memorialisation. This beautifully written reckoning with history shines a clear light on how far and how tenaciously the shadows of colonialism reach into our lives in the present moment. The bright thread of the author's own experiences that runs through the book is both deeply engaging and humane. This is a necessary and vital piece of work\" -- \u003c\/span\u003eNeel Mukherjee, Booker Prize shortlisted author of \u003ci\u003eThe Lives of Others\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"\u003cspan\u003eThis compulsively readable book clearly and forcefully lays out the stakes of the global debate over statues, monuments and other commemorative practices. It shows us that rather than a superficial skirmish in the culture wars, the struggle over statues is about how we live with and relate to one another, and the urgent fight over equality and dignity in the present\" -- \u003c\/span\u003eLaleh Khalili, Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Author:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRahul Rao\u003c\/strong\u003e is a Reader in International Political Thought in the School of International Relations at the University of St Andrews, and Professorial Research Associate at SOAS University of London. He is the author of two books - \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThird World Protest: Between Home and the World\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eOut of Time: The Queer Politics of Postcoloniality\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, both published by Oxford University Press. He is a member of the Radical Philosophy editorial collective.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Burning Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52387333112091,"sku":"Psychic Lives of Statues PB","price":17.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0466\/5121\/files\/61BUGLiznTL._SL1275.jpg?v=1780783529","url":"https:\/\/burningbooks.com\/products\/the-psychic-lives-of-statues-reckoning-with-the-rubble-of-empire-2","provider":"Burning Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}