Imperialism, Power, and Identity

Experiencing the Roman Empire

Bibliographic Data

ID9327048
AuthorsDavid J Mattingly, David Mattingly (0000-0003-1862-8392, corresponding author)
Year2013
Pages376
Publication date2013-12-31
Open AccessNo
TypeBOOK
VenueImperialism, Power, and Identity (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherPrinceton University Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1515/9781400848270
OpenAlexW3217377272
Open LibraryOL29179616M, OL27590355M
ISBN9781400848270, 9780691160177
LanguageEN
Citations received17

Despite what history has taught us about imperialism's destructive effects on colonial societies, many classicists continue to emphasize disproportionately the civilizing and assimilative nature of the Roman Empire and to hold a generally favorable view of Rome's impact on its subject peoples. This book boldly challenges this view using insights from postcolonial studies of modern empires to offer a more nuanced understanding of Roman imperialism. Rejecting outdated notions about Romanization, the book focuses instead on the concept of identity to reveal a Roman society made up of far-flung populations whose experience of empire varied enormously. It examines the nature of power in Rome and the means by which the Roman state exploited the natural, mercantile, and human resources within its frontiers. The book draws on the author's own archaeological work in Britain, Jordan, and North Africa and covers a broad range of topics, including sexual relations and violence; census-taking and taxation; mining and pollution; land and labor; and art and iconography. The book shows how the lives of those under Rome's dominion were challenged, enhanced, or destroyed by the empire's power, and in doing so he redefines the meaning and significance of Rome in today's debates about globalization, power, and empire. This book advances a new agenda for classical studies, one that views Roman rule from the perspective of the ruled and not just the rulers. A new preface reflects on some of the reactions prompted by the initial publication of the book

Aesthetics · Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Colonialism · Dominion · Empire · Globalization · Identity (music · Physics · Political science · Power (physics · Scholarship · Sociology · State (computer science · Asian American and Pacific Histories · Classical Antiquity Studies · History · Law · Philippine History and Culture · Political Philosophy and Ethics · 30 B.C.-476 A.D · Acculturation · Ethnic relations · Europe · foreign relations · Imperialism · Power (Social sciences) · Roman provinces · Rome

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