Katrina KnightGraduate Student
I am a seventh-year PhD candidate who works primarily on the development of Roman and post-Roman provincial identity and culture. My research focuses on societies that were politically, socially, and ideologically marginalized after the colonial failure of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century CE, looking at the ways in which regions like Britain and Italy contextualized themselves as post-Roman states. As the center of the Roman Empire shifted eastwards to Constantinople, the Roman frontier -- both geographic and ideological -- shifted as well, forcing the former Roman provinces to constantly redefine themselves in relation to their Romanness or lack thereof.
My work bridges the disciplinary gap between classical studies and medieval studies. I received my BA in Classical Studies and Medieval and Early Modern Studies from Tulane University in 2012, where I also completed an MA in Classical Studies in 2016 after receiving an MA from the University of Leicester in 2013. As a result, my research uses a wide variety of source material, including early medieval Latin literature, funerary inscriptions, archaeological surveys, and fragmentary Greek histories. My other interests include classical reception (particularly the Romanization of the King Arthur mythos), disaster in the ancient world, Greek and Roman magic, Iron Age societies, Byzantine (Eastern Roman) history, and military history. As a graduate tutor and former fellow at the Emory Writing Center, I am also passionate about writing pedagogy and work closely with undergraduate and graduate writers.
Education
- BA in Classical Studies and Medieval & Early Modern Studies, Tulane University, 2012
- MA in Archaeology of the Roman World, University of Leicester, 2013
- MA in Classical Studies, Tulane University, 2016
Research Interests
Frontier Studies
Classical Reception
Roman Britain
Imperialism & Colonialism
Early Medieval Successor States
Dissertation
"Becoming UnRoman: Romans and Romanness in Late Antique and Early Medieval Britain and Italy"
