Inaugural Lecture, Professor Josephine Crawley Quinn, Professor of Ancient History

We think of the ancient world in terms of states: Athens, Rome, Persia. But this is only part of the picture: there were alternative forms of governance and alternatives to being governed. Furthermore, political institutions and practices could actively resist state-making. This lecture will propose a new perspective on ancient history: anarchism, or the critique of centralised, hierarchical authority over individual autonomy. In it I will explore examples of anti-state struggle and non-state space in the ancient Mediterranean, and ask whether anarchist approaches can even be found within the Roman empire.

Reception to follow; all welcome!