Creolage. A Bottom-Up Approach to Cultural Change in Roman Times

Abstract

Existing theories to explain socio-cultural developments in the highly interconnected Roman world have seen significant developments over the past 20 years. But are we any closer in answering three major questions: who, how, and why? In other words, we need a better understanding of the complexity of the mechanisms of social agency and multiple motivational forces that instigate socio-cultural change. Many models appear to underestimate the role of sub-elite agents in instigating change, nor do they take into account simultaneous, often contradictory societal, cultural, religious and economic developments. We are therefore advocating a bottomup approach whereby multiple experiences, expectations, norms and social pressures shaped the individual social agents in diverse geographical settings in this emerging 'global world'. To evaluate the potential repercussions of an individual's actions and decisions, we must use modern sociological approaches that help us to understand, for example, group dynamics.

Innovation and Agency: To What Extent Did Cultural Appropriation Affect the Development of Jewellery in Britain During the 1st to 2nd Centuries AD?

“…However, when used as finger-rings there are no other provincial parallels to some of the wound-wire rings of the Snettisham hoard. This demonstrates a uniqueness which would insinuate, once again, that although the type shares some characteristics of a common ring, production within Britain allows for local variation and thus regional development independent of Roman culture, a phenomenon classified as creolage (Haeussler and Webster 2020) which accounts for social agency and the individual, local and regional social agent. Once again reiterating the argument that cultural appropriation in relation to rings is limited to the adoption of typologies.…”

“…Although I do agree with Webster on her criticism of the application of outdated theories to Roman Britain, I do not agree that the changes which occurred in Britain can be attributed to creolisation in the same way as in other provinces on the Continent. As discussed by Haeussler and Webster (2020), the theory of creolisation not only applies too much focus on the interaction of two cultures but also fails to acknowledge that, in the Americas, creolisation developed under very particular historic conditions, which included deracinated individuals combined with extreme social and racial violence resulting in the emergence of a 'substitute' or 'counter-culture', subverting or acting against the established dominant culture. These conditions were not met in Roman Britain, therefore, despite the usefulness of the term, creolisation as a process for cultural interaction between Britons and the Roman empire could not have occurred.…”

“…The unique and individualistic nature of bricolage had a truly profound impact on Britain before and during Roman occupation. For instance, the spread and influence of La Tène culture on Pre-Roman Britain has been observed by Haeussler and Webster (2020). An interesting observation of intellectual or mythical bricolage, which occurs during the first and second centuries, from Roman culture presents itself in cult or ritual items such as the curse tablets of Bath and Uley.…”

“…He builds upon the theory of creolisation, explaining that although in some areas new cultures are created, in the majority of the Western Empire it only appears so on the surface with instances occurring more so on the continent than in Britain. Bricolage, as argued by Haeussler and Webster (2020), also fails to account for all of the influences and changes that were occurring, as the primary focus remains on the individual and limits itself to the active borrowing from cultures within close vicinity to the individual 'bricoleur'.…”

“…However, one must remember that there are no rings in pre-Roman Britain, so we must consider the way in which individuals and regional societies engage with this item of adornment. The manner of engagement by the individual social agent suggests that although there was a general insignificance of cultural appropriation in Britain there is significant Creolage (Haeussler and Webster 2020) occurring during this period.…”