Michael D. J.
Bintley
Contributions to edited collections or authored works
This chapter argues that early English writing and material culture manipulated and manufactured British and Roman identities in the formation of an ‘Anglo-Saxon’ identity between the eighth and eleventh centuries. Historical and literary works present a narrative in which the British were conquered or pushed to the fringes of society, despite the coexistence of ample evidence for inter-group cooperation and collaboration. At the same time, other cultural productions sought to emphasize the incorporation—and continuation—of various aspects of Romanitas. Interrogating a range of textual and material evidence, this chapter presents an overview of the various approaches to ‘British’ and ‘Roman’ identity that are visible in early English culture. It gives special consideration to one of the most prominent stages on which this negotiation took place: the former towns of Roman Britain.
This chapter argues that early English writing and material culture manipulated and manufactured British and Roman identities in the formation of an ‘Anglo-Saxon’ identity between the eighth and eleventh centuries. Historical and literary works present a narrative in which the British were conquered or pushed to the fringes of society, despite the coexistence of ample evidence for inter-group cooperation and collaboration. At the same time, other cultural productions sought to emphasize the incorporation—and continuation—of various aspects of Romanitas. Interrogating a range of textual and material evidence, this chapter presents an overview of the various approaches to ‘British’ and ‘Roman’ identity that are visible in early English culture. It gives special consideration to one of the most prominent stages on which this negotiation took place: the former towns of Roman Britain.
