Diversity in Imperial Rome: Contexts, Questions, Comparisons

A lecture by Associate Professor, Nandini Pandey

Description: Rome was one of the longest-lasting and most ethnically heterogeneous empires the world has ever seen. How did the Romans think about diversity? How did they conceptualize their own multiculturalism and pluralism? How was their valuation of difference related to imperialism and consumerism, and what might we learn from their example? This talk explores racial and cultural difference in the ancient Mediterranean with a particular focus on civic, domestic, and literary spaces where Romans experienced and negotiated difference during the heyday of their empire, with some thought toward contemporary implications.

Pandey is the Race, Ethnicity, and Indigeneity Fellow for the Institute for Research in the Humanities during the 2019-2020 academic year.