"MONUMENT WARS" THE DESTRUCTION OF VAN HEUTSZ MONUMENT IN BATAVIA

Monument Wars or the destruction of monuments is part of decolonization in various parts of the world. Monument Wars then occur almost in some countries in the world, ranging from Europe, America and Australia. In Indonesia the destruction of the monument with anti-colonialism pretext also occurred since the colonial period to independence. Monuments, sites or material cultural relics from the past were regerded as (collective) memory regarding the power struggle, national identity or the formation of the nation's character. The monument provides an opportunity for archaeologists and historians to delve the meaning of history behind the monuments. The monument as a material culture considered as a text so that the meaning is open to be interpreted. With the study of historical methods and and material culture, the monument considered no different from the archive. This study will examined the destruction of Van Heutsz Monument in Batavia as well as the vandalism occurred in the similar monument in Amsterdam as part of the monument wars. Visual narratives of how a monumet has the meaning of those established it and have different meanings for the next generation will also be examined.KEYWORDS: Monument wars, monument, decolonisation, material culture, history