Graduate Student, History
University College
|
Bryan Ward-Perkins
Chris Wickham |
About
My doctoral research centres on ethnic identities in narrative sources from sixth- and seventh-century Gaul and Spain. I am seeking to understand how ‘Roman’ faded as a primary identity of individuals in these regions by examining when and why authors used ethnic terms and what these meant to them in a changing post-Roman world. Modern social and anthropological studies have shown that what we call ‘ethnic identity’ can in fact have many facets, including political, religious, and familial associations. It can also be changed, though it is now (and was in the early medieval world) thought of as permanent and stemming from one’s birth. I argue that the shift in this period from being a ‘Roman’ to being a ‘Frank’ or a ‘Goth’ occurred first at a political level, with a political association with a new ruler facilitating the ability of Romans and their descendants to conceive of themselves as ethnic Franks or Goths, usually over generations.
