Appel à contributions
Integration and identity
in the Roman Republic
Manchester
1-3 Juillet 2010
Manchester
1-3 Juillet 2010
Limite : 1er mars 2010
The project 'Integration and identity in the Roman Republic' is currently carried out by Saskia Roselaar at the University of Manchester. It aims to clarify the processes of integration between Italians and Romans in the period 340-91 BC. The issue of integration has been studied mainly in the context of the Romanization of Italy and the formation of identities in Italy, which are considered the result of increased contact between Romans and Italians. However, it still remains unclear in what contexts Romans and Italians came into contact with each other. The project's aim therefore is to study the points of contact between these groups: before we can say anything about the cultural and linguistic consequences of integration, we must know where and why exactly Romans and Italians met.
The project studies these contacts in three broadly defined spheres:
- Geographical: To establish which were the points of contact between Romans and Italians, we must first find out where these groups lived. The project will focus specifically on the landscape of the colonies founded by the Romans throughout Italy, which are usually assumed to have played a large role in the Romanization of Italy. Although it is sometimes assumed that Italians were expelled from their lands, recent research has suggested that Italians often lived in the colonies or their territories. A more detailed reconstruction of the colonial landscape is therefore in order.
- Political and administrative: Italians sometimes received full or partial Roman citizenship, which would have brought them into contact with Romans on a regular basis. Other Italians were governed directly by Roman state officials. Regular contact with Roman government may have been an important factor in the integration of Italians; the project seeks to explore the relations between political and administrative contacts and the economic and cultural developments in various Italian areas.
- Economic: Contacts between Romans and Italians could occur for various economic reasons. It appears that trade occurred in a variety of contexts, which must be studied in more detail. Furthermore, it is well known that Italians conducted trade outside Italy, with the assistance of the Roman state. Thus, increased contacts with Rome may have been beneficial for the Italian economy.
The study of these possibilities for contact between Rome and the Italians will shed light on the process of Romanization as it occurred in Republican Italy: it will be possible to establish in more detail exactly how much contact existed between Rome and the various Italian peoples, and what modes of contact existed. Research into political integration will also shed light on the concept of Roman identity in the Republic: the study of political rights shows which rights the Romans were willing to share with the Italians, and thereby their level of inclusion into Roman society.
We would welcome papers on any aspect of integration and the formation of identity in the Roman Republic. We would particularly like to invite archaeologists and linguists, since it is clear that integration and identity cannot be studied by ancient historians alone.
Some suggested topics are:
- Colonial landscapes
- Legal barriers for integration
- Ideas about integration among Romans and Italians
- Different modes of integration for various social classes
- Regional variations in the methods and results of integration
Confirmed speakers include: Guy Bradley (Cardiff) Tim Cornell (Manchester) Altay Coskun (Waterloo, Canada) Elena Isayev (Exeter) David Langslow (Manchester) Kathryn Lomas (UCL) John Patterson (Cambridge) William Rees (Oxford) Saskia Roselaar (Manchester) Nathan Rosenstein (Ohio State)
If you are interested in speaking at or attending the conference, please let me know as soon as possible, so that we will have an idea of numbers participating.
Saskia Roselaar
Newton International research fellow
The University of Manchester, Classics and Ancient History
Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
+ 44 (0) 161- 2752712.
Saskia [dot] Roselaar [at] MANCHESTER [dot] AC [dot] UK
Lieu
Manchester, 1-3 Juillet 2010
Source : liste de diffusion de Liverpool (http://listserv.liv.ac.uk/archives/classicists.html) et Compitum (http://www.compitum.fr/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=980&Itemid=38)
