THE PSYCHIC LIVES OF STATUES, reckoning with the rubble of empire

195pp., illus., paperback, Pluto Press, London, 2026

ISBN: 9780745350783

Rahul Rao engages with artists, scholars and activists to explore the global controversies over the meaning of statues, examining both the toppling of colonial statues and the erection of postcolonial ones, and illuminating how these controversies have dramatically rearranged anti-colonial political thought through the multifaceted lenses of justice, cultural memory and belonging.

”'The 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" Neel Mukherjee, author of The Lives of Others

"In this beautiful book, Rao reminds us that there are long histories and complex attachments in play whenever people choose to erect or pull down statues. In a work that is both erudite and entertaining, we learn that no memorial is innocent – but humans want to remember. There is no better book on what statues are to public space and why it matters that we continue to think about them" Gargi Bhattacharyya, Director of Sarah Parker Remond Centre for the Study of Racism and Racialisation, University College London

Rahul Rao 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 other books, Third World Protest: Between Home and the World and Out of Time: The Queer Politics of Postcoloniality.