scholarly journals Thinking about Roman Imperialism: Postcolonialism, Globalisation and Beyond?

Britannia ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
pp. 1-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Gardner

AbstractFor the last twenty years or so, archaeologists of Roman Britain, among other provinces, have been seeking ways of moving beyond the concept of ‘Romanisation’ as a framework for thinking about Roman imperialism. Many of the ideas proposed have been drawn from two related bodies of thought which have emerged as ways of understanding the contemporary world: postcolonialism and globalisation theory. While achieving significant success in transforming interpretations of the Roman world, applications of these approaches present some fresh problems of theoretical and practical coherence. These in turn point to important issues to do with the role of theory in Roman archaeology, issues which have rarely been tackled head-on but which present obstacles to interdisciplinary dialogue. The aim of this paper is to evaluate and compare the perspectives of postcolonial and globalisation theories, assess their strengths and weaknesses, and suggest some possibilities for linking the insights of these and other approaches to define a more holistic agenda for Roman archaeology.

Britannia ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 47 ◽  
pp. 209-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martijn Polm

ABSTRACTThis paper offers a post-colonial analysis of past and present representations of the archaeological remains of Roman Britain and Roman London in the British Museum and Museum of London respectively. Since post-colonial criticism of Romano-British archaeology is highly relevant to such an analysis, a brief description is provided at the outset. Thereafter follows a series of six case studies — three for each museum. The first four focus on the history of the Romano-British collections at both museums and sometimes draw on post-colonial insights to explain the development of these collections and the ways in which they were exhibited. The last two case studies investigate how British post-colonial criticism of Roman archaeology has (or has not) impacted on the current displays of the Romano-British collections at both museums. Finally, some recommendations will be offered based on the outcomes of these two case studies. Recurring themes are the representation of: the Roman military; Roman imperialism; the (material) culture of Roman Britain and Roman London.


Investment in capital, both physical and financial, and innovation in its uses are often considered the linchpins of modern economic growth, while credit and credit markets now seem to determine the wealth—as well as the fate—of nations. This book asks whether it always thus, and whether the Roman economy—large, complex, and sophisticated as it was— looked anything like today’s economies in terms of its structural properties. Through consideration of the allocation and uses of capital and credit and the role of innovation in the Roman world, the contributors to this volume go to the heart of the matter. How was capital in its various forms generated, allocated, and employed in the Roman economy? Did the Romans have markets for capital goods and credit? Did investment in capital lead to innovation and productivity growth? The authors consider multiple aspects of capital use in agriculture, water management, trade, and urban production, and of credit provision, finance, and human capital in different periods of Roman history, in Italy and elsewhere in the Roman world. Using many different types of written and archaeological evidence, and employing a range of modern theoretical perspectives and methodologies, the contributors, an international team of historians and archaeologists, have produced the first book-length contribution to focus exclusively on (physical and financial) capital in the Roman world, a volume that is aimed at experts in the field as well as at economic historians and archaeologists specializing in other periods and places.


2008 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 403-423 ◽  
Author(s):  
CASPER SYLVEST

AbstractThis article deploys a historical analysis of the relationship between law and imperialism to highlight questions about the character and role of international law in global politics. The involvement of two British international lawyers in practices of imperialism in Africa during the late nineteenth century is critically examined: the role of Travers Twiss (1809–1897) in the creation of the Congo Free State and John Westlake’s (1828–1913) support for the South African War. The analysis demonstrates the inescapably political character of international law and the dangers that follow from fusing a particular form of liberal moralism with notions of legal hierarchy. The historical cases raise ethico-political questions, the importance of which is only heightened by the character of contemporary world politics and the attention accorded to international law in recent years.


Britannia ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 48 ◽  
pp. 135-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa A. Lodwick

ABSTRACTIn tandem with the large-scale translocation of food plants in the Roman world, ornamental evergreen plants and plant items were also introduced to new areas for ritual and ornamental purposes. The extent to which these new plants, primarily box and stone-pine, were grown in Britain has yet to be established. This paper presents a synthesis of archaeobotanical records of box, stone-pine and norway spruce in Roman Britain, highlighting chronological and spatial patterns. Archaeobotanical evidence is used alongside material culture to evaluate the movement of these plants and plant items into Roman Britain, their meaning and materiality in the context of human-plant relations in ornamental gardens and ritual activities. Archaeobotanical evidence for ornamental evergreen plants elsewhere in the Roman world is presented.


2019 ◽  

This volume approaches three key concepts in Roman history — gender, memory and identity — and demonstrates the significance of their interaction in all social levels and during all periods of Imperial Rome. When societies, as well as individuals, form their identities, remembrance and references to the past play a significant role. The aim of Gender, Memory, and Identity in the Roman World is to cast light on the constructing and the maintaining of both public and private identities in the Roman Empire through memory, and to highlight, in particular, the role of gender in that process. While approaching this subject, the contributors to this volume scrutinise both the literature and material sources, pointing out how widespread the close relationship between gender, memory and identity was. A major aim of Gender, Memory, and Identity in the Roman World as a whole is to point out the significance of the interaction between these three concepts in both the upper and lower levels of Roman society, and how it remained an important question through the period from Augustus right into Late Antiquity.


Author(s):  
Mary E. Lewis

This chapter explores our current knowledge of pathology and trauma in Romano-British non-adult samples focusing on the children from the late Roman cemetery of Poundbury Camp, Dorset. Evidence for metabolic diseases (rickets, scurvy, iron deficiency anaemia), fractures, thalassemia, congenital disorders and tuberculosis, are presented with emphasis on what their presence tells us about the impact of the Romans in Britain. Many of the large Roman sites from the UK were excavated long before diagnostic criteria for recognizing pathology in child remains were fully developed, and European studies tend only to focus on anaemia and its link to malaria. A lack of environmental evidence for the sites from which our skeletal remains are derived is also problematic, and this chapter hopes to set the agenda for future research into the health and life of children living in the Roman World.


2007 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-81
Author(s):  
David Ford

AbstractThis article recognises both the need for wisdom for the flourishing of public life and the value of the contribution that Christian wisdom, founded on Scripture, has to offer. However, this article also notes that the contemporary world is a complexly religious and secular environment, and hence if Christian wisdom is to realise its potential, there is a need for the creation and nurture of attitudes, groups and institutions within which fruitful dialogue between faiths and ideologies in public life can occur. The article observes that Britain currently has a particular opportunity to work towards this kind of wisdom-embracing religious and secular society, and the practice of scriptural reasoning is explored as an exemplary practice that promotes the kind of inter-faith collegiality, collaboration and friendships that enhance public life. Finally, the article offers some brief reflections on Job and the role of wisdom in an authentic and biblical Christian faith.


Author(s):  
Phramaha Pornchai Sripakdee

<p><em>In reality, man cannot live without communication; at least, he communicates something with himself, thoughts, for instance. In order to successfully communicate something as such, ethics concerning any kinds of communication should be taken into a critical examination; what kind of speech one should speak out, what kind of speech one should not speak out. In this article, an attempt was purposely made to discuss the role of Buddhist ethics and communication in the contemporary world crisis. In this, it is argued by Buddhist ethics that the communication should be subject to ethics because of man’s ideal life, without it, such communication will pose the danger to the chance in obtaining the goal, ideal life. </em></p>


2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 202-219
Author(s):  
Nathalia Cunha da Silva ◽  
Elizabeth Moraes Gonçalves

This article aims to understand how female photojournalists see maternity within the profession in the contemporary world through the use of a study on the cultural and historical influence of gender roles on the performance and development of female photojournalists in the city of São Paulo. A qualitative methodology was adopted using semi-structured interviews. The interviews were conducted with nine female photojournalists from three different age groups who work both formally and informally. For the purposes of this study, we selected only the parts of the interview where the interviewees referred to their role of mother and professional. The analysis was based on a discursive approach, with theoretical support from French Discourse Analysis. The results show the influence gender roles have on forming symbolic barriers that connect having a career with an imbalance between paid work and maternity.O artigo objetiva compreender como as mulheres fotojornalistas percebem a maternidade dentro da profissão na contemporaneidade por meio de um estudo sobre a influência cultural e histórica dos papéis atribuídos de gênero na atuação e desenvolvimento feminino no fotojornalismo paulistano. A metodologia empregada é qualitativa, com uso de entrevista do tipo semiaberta. As entrevistas foram realizadas com nove mulheres que têm o fotojornalismo como principal atividade, com relações de trabalho formais e informais, divididas em três grupos etários. Para este texto foram selecionadas apenas as falas em que as entrevistadas faziam referência ao papel de mãe e profissional. O procedimento de análise seguiu uma abordagem discursiva, com subsídios teóricos na Análise do Discurso de linha francesa. Os resultados apontam a influência dos papéis atribuídos aos gêneros sobre a configuração de barreiras simbólicas que atrelam a permanência na carreira à exigência de um desequilíbrio entre trabalho remunerado e a maternidade. El artículo objetiva comprender cómo las mujeres fotoperiodistas perciben la maternidad dentro de la profesión en la contemporaneidad por medio de un estudio sobre la influencia cultural e histórica de los roles socialmente asignados de género en la actuación y el desarrollo de mujeres en el fotoperiodismo de la ciudad de Sao Paulo. La metodología empleada es cualitativa, con uso de entrevista del tipo semiabierta. Se entrevistó a nueve mujeres que actúan en el fotoperiodismo, con relaciones de trabajo formales o informales. Ellas han sido divididas en tres categorías de edad. Para este texto se seleccionaron sólo las palabras en las que las entrevistadas se referían al papel de madre y profesional. Los resultados apuntan a la influencia de los papeles atribuidos a los géneros sobre la configuración de barreras simbólicas que atrevan la permanencia en la carrera a la exigencia de un desequilibrio entre trabajo remunerado y maternidad.


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