GALLIA, A.B.,
Remembering the Roman Republic. Culture, Politics, and History under the Principate.
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (...), 2014. 1st paperback ed. XIV,319p. Paperback. 'Andrew B. Gallia’s Remembering the Roman Republic: Culture, Politics and History under the Principate is a rich and rewarding study of the dynamics of Roman public memory throughout the interconnected realms of, as promised in the subtitle, culture, politics and history. Gallia presents six case studies falling between 68 and 117 CE, each of which centres around a moment wherein the remembered meaning of the Roman Republic or of concepts associated with the Republic was in some way marshalled, mediated, manipulated or otherwise manifested by political actors. The framework within which these case studies are set is a particularly labile one; Gallia works with a broad concept of memory as a cultural and social phenomenon, as experienced and expressed both by individuals and collectives, and as instantiated through a wide range of media. Further, Gallia’s definition of memory insists on the dynamism of things remembered and on the plurality of ways to remember. (...) the strength of the book is in its inclusiveness and openness; Gallia does not close down other avenues in his interpretations but rather layers 'interpretations upon interpretations, making many fine and insightful observations along the way. While I do not subscribe to all of Gallia’s individual conclusions, this book should be read and admired both for taking on such a complex question with circumspection and sagacity and also for doing so with the kind of critical spirit that prefers to multiply rather than subtract and is thus infinitely more valuable.' (SARAH H. BLAKE in Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2013.01.59).
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