Rome redux: Romanization and Roman Identities in the 21st Century

This paper focuses on three of the historiographical trends on identity issues have been prominent in the study of the Roman world over the last twenty years, bringing about important changes in the way we conceive collective belonging. From the efforts to "decolonise" the historical sciences to the growing rise of global interpretations, including the incorporation of gender perspective and feminist theory, the current understanding the so-called "Romanization" and Roman identities are characterised not only by a general adherence to a viewpoint far removed from old essentialisms, but also for focusing on new issues, such as the ethnic factor, the role of local communities, connectivity and mobility, multiculturalism, hybridisation and marginalised groups. However, this novel scenario can lead to new problems, like other essentialisms and the over-representation of aspects such as diversity, contact, resistance and cultural mixing.