In the eighteenth century sugar planters, merchants, aristocrats, politicians, and governments erected hundreds of commemorative monuments throughout the British Empire as expressions of social status, personal dynasties, territorial occupation, and imperial ambitions. In a culture transformed by the rising merchant class, these monuments - inherently public and hopefully permanent - underscored the economic, political, and cultural complexities of the emerging empire.

Lavishly illustrated, Persuasion and Propaganda is the first study of these works of art within the framework of colonial politics and political culture. While examining the rise of the idea of the public in the modern world, Joan Coutu also explores how "empire" was constantly being redefined. From private funeral monuments in the West Indies to works erected by the East India Company and the British Parliament, Coutu shows how the youthful British Empire saw itself and validated its mission through sculpture.