Happy Wife, Happy Life: A Theoretical Approach to Dual Identity in Greek Colonies
Submission Type
Event
Expected Graduation Date
2015
Location
Room E108, Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University
Start Date
4-12-2014 11:00 AM
End Date
4-12-2014 12:00 PM
Disciplines
Ancient History, Greek and Roman through Late Antiquity
Abstract
In the eighth and seventh centuries, as many Greek city-states expanded westward forming new settlements, some settlers married native women. Colonists who participated in intermarriage encouraged their native wives to participate in rituals at Greek sanctuaries, one of four indicators of Greek ethnicity according to Herodotus, in order to facilitate a dual identity. By applying Althusser’s concept of the Ideological State Apparatus which postulates that religion imposes identity, this presentation proves that incorporating natives into Greek religion was a form of cultural conversion. Archaeological evidence of indigenous objects in Greek settlements shows that natives were able to incorporate their own cultural aspects in Greek society as long as they were not of a religious nature. When analyzed through the lens of Althusser’s theory, this demonstrates that religion was an important tool used to develop Greek ethnicity. My findings are significant because they show how Greeks used religion to create a cultural identity with local populations with whom they intermarried, in order to facilitate a more peaceful community.
Happy Wife, Happy Life: A Theoretical Approach to Dual Identity in Greek Colonies
Room E108, Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University
In the eighth and seventh centuries, as many Greek city-states expanded westward forming new settlements, some settlers married native women. Colonists who participated in intermarriage encouraged their native wives to participate in rituals at Greek sanctuaries, one of four indicators of Greek ethnicity according to Herodotus, in order to facilitate a dual identity. By applying Althusser’s concept of the Ideological State Apparatus which postulates that religion imposes identity, this presentation proves that incorporating natives into Greek religion was a form of cultural conversion. Archaeological evidence of indigenous objects in Greek settlements shows that natives were able to incorporate their own cultural aspects in Greek society as long as they were not of a religious nature. When analyzed through the lens of Althusser’s theory, this demonstrates that religion was an important tool used to develop Greek ethnicity. My findings are significant because they show how Greeks used religion to create a cultural identity with local populations with whom they intermarried, in order to facilitate a more peaceful community.