The Emperor's New Clothes? The Utility of Identity in Roman Archaeology
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4537650 |
|---|---|
| Authors | M Pitts (0000-0002-5671-1069, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2007 |
| Volume | 111 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 693-713 |
| Publication date | 2007-10-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Journal of Archaeology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0002-9114 • E-ISSN: 1939-828X |
| Publisher | University of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.3764/aja.111.4.693 |
| OpenAlex | W2334666015 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 32 |
| References cited | 30 |
This paper discusses the concept of identity as an increasingly central research theme in Anglo-American Roman archaeology. The first part provides an overview and critique of the issue in recent academic discourse, highlighting some potential theoretical and methodological problems. I argue that, if pursued uncritically, there is a danger that approaches to identity are reducible to the search for diversity for diversity's sake, and even worse, that identity is simply read off from archaeological remains in a culture-historical fashion. In the second part, I use two case studies to outline a new approach to the construction of narratives of identity that emphasizes the constitution of identity through dynamic social practices instead of a direct one-to-one relationship between identity and static material culture. I contend that identity is best investigated through methodologies specifically designed to elucidate aspects of social practice through archaeological evidence rather than simply identify variability in material culture
Aesthetics · Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Clothing · Constitution · Cultural identity · Diversity (politics) · Emperor · Identity (music) · Literature · Narrative · Political science · Social group · Social identity theory · Social science · Sociology · Theme (computing) · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Anthropology · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Computer Science · Historical and Cultural Archaeology Studies · History · Law
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| Unique citing works | 32 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,78 |
| Citation span | 2008 - 2026 (19) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 31 |