Special Issue Editor: Mauro Puddu
To what extent have feminist theories been integrated as a fundamental component of Roman archaeology? Is the application of postcolonial theories to the study of life under the Roman Empire still dynamic, or have these frameworks lost their momentum? Can fostering a systematic dialogue between feminism, gender studies and postcolonial theories help propel the decolonial agenda in Roman archaeology?
This special issue critically examines the evolution of theoretical debates in Roman archaeology through an intersectional lens, with particular focus on marginalized experiences. How central is the study of women, migrants, enslaved individuals, and people with disabilities to our understanding of the Roman past? We argue that this remains a vital scholarly mission. Through a diverse set of sources—including numismatic, epigraphic, ceramic, and bioarchaeological evidence—these papers interrogate the discipline’s engagement with feminist and postcolonial thought.