Necessary comparisons: A post‐colonial approach to religious syncretism in the Roman provinces

Abstract

Questioning existing paradigms regarding religious syncretism in the western provinces of the Roman Empire, this paper addresses the difficulty of reconciling comparative study with historical contingency. It is argued that discourse analysis, as developed in post‐colonial discourse theory, both facilitates comparative study of material culture in colonial contexts, and enables radical new readings of Romano‐Celtic syncretism. It is further suggested that the discursive relationship between Roman imperialism and Western European imperialism ‐ the cycle of interaction between ancient and modern colonialisms ‐ has influenced the study of Romano‐Celtic religion in such a way that we not only can compare colonialisms, but must compare them if we wish both to articulate the nature of religious syncretism in the Roman provinces, and to achieve a reflexive understanding of our own discipline.