Roman Diversity: Modern Lessons from an Ancient Empire
Nandini Pandey explores the literary and material remnants of Roman diversity.
How did ancient Romans negotiate their empire’s remarkable ethnic variety? Better than many modern nation-states, actually. Romans understood the pragmatic benefit of providing opportunity to constituent peoples regardless of race. On the other hand, Roman diversity was grounded in violent conquest, exploitation, and slavery. Many Romans experienced this diversity via tokens: representative humans and goods from all over the known world were assembled within local spaces such as gardens, galleries, dining rooms, bedrooms, and circuses. In this talk, Nandini Pandey explored the literary and material remnants of Roman diversity, suggesting that the spaces in which it appeared became “heterotopias,” wherein Romans learned to admire their empire’s ethnic array, manipulate it, and, ultimately, commodify it. Her exploration of these ancient practices aims at encouraging a critical reexamination of modern diversity policies.
Watch the Video
Related content
Fellow Spotlight: Dagmar Herzog
Dagmar Herzog is examining transcripts based on 121 focus-group interviews conducted between 1950-51 by the Institute of Social Research in Frankfurt/Main.
Fellow Spotlight: Stephanie Leitch
Stephanie Leitch specializes in art of the German Renaissance and the history of printmaking.
Fellow Spotlight: Allison Stanger
Allison Stanger writes on the democratic risks associated with cryptocurrency adoption.
Return to Charles Ray
What have shaped Ray’s work from the enduring traditions of sculpture?