Book description
With new surges of activity from religious, political, and military extremists, the destruction of images has become increasingly relevant on a global scale. A founder of the study of early modern and contemporary iconoclasm, David Freedberg has addressed this topic for five decades. His work has brought this subject to…
Why read it?
1 author picked Iconoclasm as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Written by a world-leading authority on iconoclasm, this book is a veritable encyclopedia!
I love its historical sweep, covering iconoclasm from ancient Rome to the present day. The book also ranges widely across geographies, including Europe, West Asia, South Africa, and the United States. In doing so, it makes clear how, rather than being characteristic of particular cultures, iconoclasm is rooted in the human psyche.
It helped me to understand how human beings can experience the inert matter of statues and images as coming alive, to the point where they are spooked enough to want to destroy them.
From Rahul's list on Rahul Rao's favorite books about the politics of controversial statues.
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