Roman Political Culture
Seven Studies of the Senate and City Councils of Italy from the First to the Sixth Century AD
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9319145 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Laurens E Tacoma (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Pages | 336 |
| Publication date | 2020-03-04 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | BOOK |
| Venue | Roman Political Culture (SOURCE_BOOK) |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1093/oso/9780198850809.001.0001 |
| OpenAlex | W4246995640 |
| ISBN | 9780198850809 |
| Open Library | OL29454994M |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
This book offers an analysis of Roman political culture in Italy from the first to the sixth century AD on the basis of seven case studies. Its main contention is that, during the period in which Italy was subject to single rule, Italy’s political culture had a specific form. It was the product of the continued existence of two traditional political institutions: the senate in the city of Rome and the local city councils in the rest of Italy. Under single rule, the position of both institutions was increasingly weakened and they became part of a much wider institutional landscape. Nevertheless, they continued functioning until the end of the sixth century AD. Their longevity must imply that they retained meaning for their members, even when society was undergoing significant changes. As their powers and prerogatives shrank considerably, their significance became social rather than political: they allowed elites to enact and negotiate their own position in society. The tension between the fact that the institutions were at heart participatory in nature, but that their power was restricted, generated complex social dynamics. On the one hand, participants became locked in mutual expectations about each other’s behaviour and were enacting social roles, while on the other hand they retained a degree of agency. They were encapsulated in an honorific language and in a set of conventions that regulated their behaviour, but that at the same time offered them some room for manoeuvre
Aesthetics · Agency (philosophy · Ancient history · Art · Epistemology · Geography · Honorific · Linguistics · Meaning (existential · Negotiation · Period (music · Political culture · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Power (physics · Social science · Sociology · Classical Antiquity Studies · History · Law · Philosophy · Public Administration · politics and government · Politische Kultur
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2023 - 2025 (3) |
| Highly cited | No |