{"id":64,"date":"2018-01-31T16:07:23","date_gmt":"2018-01-31T16:07:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/?p=64"},"modified":"2024-08-31T17:06:31","modified_gmt":"2024-08-31T16:06:31","slug":"staff-qa-alan-ross","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/2018\/01\/31\/staff-qa-alan-ross\/","title":{"rendered":"Staff Q&A: Alan Ross"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Today, we have another interview, this time with Dr Alan Ross.<\/em><\/div>\n
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History at Southampton<\/strong>: How would you describe yourself as a historian?<\/em><\/div>\n
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Alan Ross<\/strong>: I tend to think of myself as a traditional Classicist: I use detailed linguistic and textual interrogation of ancient authors to answer literary, philosophical, and historical questions.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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History at Southampton<\/strong>: What do you research?<\/em><\/div>\n
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AR<\/strong>: I work mostly on political literature of the later Roman Empire from the 4th Century AD, a time of rapid political, social, and religious change, and one of the most important periods of Latin literary history. The subject of my doctorate and first book was the greatest historian of Late Antiquity, Ammianus Marcellinus, a Greek who wrote the first large-scale historical work in Latin for more than two hundred years. I studied his depiction of the last pagan emperor, Julian (often called \u2018the Apostate\u2019), who usurped the throne, passed legislation against Christians, and died at the head of his army when invading Persia. I was interested in how Ammianus reshaped contemporary responses to Julian and fitted them within the generic confines of this traditional form of historical writing. I\u2019m now working on political speeches of praise (\u2018panegyrics\u2019), which were addressed to Julian\u2019s predecessor, Constantius II. They offer a fascinating mix of philosophical theorizing on the nature of kingship, advice to the emperor, and dissemination of his propaganda.<\/div>\n
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History at Southampton<\/strong>: What sorts of questions are you interested in answering?<\/em><\/div>\n
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AR<\/strong>: The majority of our written sources for the ancient world are highly literary, and are shaped by long-standing, though fluid generic conventions. I\u2019m always interested in questioning how literary form and expectation influenced the Romans\u2019 presentation of their past, and how in turn we should use their texts as \u2018sources\u2019 to understand their society.<\/div>\n
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History at Southampton<\/strong>: What subjects do you teach? How would you describe your approach to teaching?<\/em><\/div>\n
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AR<\/strong>: I teach Roman History. At the moment I\u2019m teaching a first-year module on the Emperor Augustus, the revolutionary first emperor of Rome, who overthrew the (somewhat) democratic Republic and instituted a monarchical system that was to endure, at least in the East, until the fifteenth century. Next semester I\u2019ll be teaching a new module on the representations of emperors throughout the Roman imperial period, which will examine how ancient authors depict emperors in works of history and biography, and when and how it\u2019s safe for them to criticise the monarch. Along the way we\u2019ll encounter some of those great villains of imperial history: Nero, who sang when Rome burned, and Caligula who slept with his sisters and made his horse consul.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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I tend to believe that spirited debate and fruitful discussion are the best ways to foster learning; a critical task for me as a teacher, then, is to know how to ask the right questions that will spark such debates and lead them in a productive direction. Otherwise I hope I create a relaxed and supportive atmosphere in my classes that enables everyone to feel able and confident to contribute.<\/div>\n
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History at Southampton<\/strong>: Why did you become a historian?<\/em><\/div>\n
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AR<\/strong>: I was fortunate to study both Latin and Greek at school\u2014to begin with I enjoyed them solely as linguistic exercises, and was initially frustrated that our teachers expected us to go beyond mere translation and use the texts we read as the basis for literary and historical criticism. But the tables soon turned and I found the interplay of several different skills\u2014linguistic, literary, and historical\u2014very rewarding, as I have done ever since. As an undergraduate reading Classics I was drawn to ancient historiography, and the idea of studying literature as history and history from literature; it remained my focus throughout my graduate work. Needless to say, several dedicated and inspiring teachers helped along the way, and the idea of combining research with teaching in a career has been very appealing. I\u2019ve done both independently, spending eighteen months as a Classics teacher in Berkshire, and three years as a research fellow in South Africa and Ireland; combing the two now at Southampton is an exciting prospect.<\/div>\n
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Students, have a think about taking Alan\u2019s second-year module, \u2018Roman Emperors and Imperial Lives: Between Biography and History, Praise and Blame\u2019<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today, we have another interview, this time with Dr Alan Ross. History at Southampton: How would you describe yourself as a historian? Alan Ross: I tend to think of myself as a traditional Classicist: I use detailed linguistic and textual interrogation of ancient authors to answer literary, philosophical, and historical questions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2608,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-64","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-meet-the-department","column","threecol"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9DnLX-12","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":302,"url":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/2018\/11\/15\/envisioning-emperors\/","url_meta":{"origin":64,"position":0},"title":"Envisioning Emperors","author":"Eve Colpus","date":"15th November 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Alan Ross is currently a visiting scholar in the Classics Department at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, where he is working on Late Antique literary culture. He recently published a co-edited volume with Brill, entitled Imagining Emperors in the Later Roman Empire. Here, he tells us why we need another book\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Comment and debate"","block_context":{"text":"Comment and debate","link":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/category\/comment-and-debate\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2018\/11\/Ross-cover-197x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":218,"url":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/2018\/07\/19\/the-final-and-fateful-sojourn-of-the-iranian-revolutionary-and-scholar-dr-ali-shariati-1933-1977-in-southampton\/","url_meta":{"origin":64,"position":1},"title":"The final and fateful sojourn of the Iranian Revolutionary and Scholar, Dr Ali Shariati (1933-1977), in Southampton","author":"Remy Ambuhl","date":"19th July 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"This year, as part of the group project module, my students* explored the brief stay, in Southampton, of Dr Ali Shariati, who is recognised as the ideological father of the 1979 Iranian Revolution. His short stay in the UK and unexpected death on 18 June 1977 have been shrouded in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Notes from the archive"","block_context":{"text":"Notes from the archive","link":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/category\/notes-from-the-archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2018\/07\/shariati.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":369,"url":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/2019\/03\/06\/interview-with-recent-phd-graduate-dr-louise-fairbrother\/","url_meta":{"origin":64,"position":2},"title":"Interview with recent PhD graduate, Dr Louise Fairbrother","author":"Jonathan Hunt","date":"6th March 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"What was the subject of your research? My research looked in detail at how the town governments of Southampton and various other English towns organised their industry and trade in the sixteenth century.\u00a0 It focussed specifically on the way in which they controlled the groups involved.\u00a0 In Southampton\u2019s case, this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Meet the Department"","block_context":{"text":"Meet the Department","link":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/category\/meet-the-department\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2019\/03\/Picture1-300x300.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":39,"url":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/2018\/01\/31\/sweet-tooth\/","url_meta":{"origin":64,"position":3},"title":"Sweet Tooth","author":"George Gilbert","date":"31st January 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Christer Petley has recently collaborated with a renowned vocal artist, Elaine Mitchener, who has created a disturbingly powerful piece of performance art, Sweet Tooth, about British-Caribbean slavery and its legacies. The project has reworked archival text, drawn from Christer\u2019s research, in performances with the acclaimed jazz saxophonist Jason Yarde, percussionist\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Events"","block_context":{"text":"Events","link":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/category\/events\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2018\/01\/Unknown-300x287.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":47,"url":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/2018\/01\/31\/the-southampton-stonewall-lecture\/","url_meta":{"origin":64,"position":4},"title":"The Southampton Stonewall Lecture","author":"George Gilbert","date":"31st January 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"15 February 2018, 6pm Part of the annual series of lectures organised by the Faculty of Humanities.\u00a0This year's Stonewall Lecture will be give by Professor Alison Oram, Professor of Social and Cultural History at Leeds Beckett University. 'Queer beyond London: Culture and Place in English Cities since the 1960s' How\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Events"","block_context":{"text":"Events","link":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/category\/events\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2018\/01\/Alison-Oram-pic-2_cropped.jpg_SIA_JPG_fit_to_width_MEDIUM-300x186.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":506,"url":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/2020\/09\/14\/professor-chris-woolgar-fellow-of-the-british-academy\/","url_meta":{"origin":64,"position":5},"title":"Professor Chris Woolgar, Fellow of the British Academy","author":"Jonathan Hunt","date":"14th September 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"In this year of pandemic and distancing, the Southampton history department is united in pleasure and appreciation at the election of our colleague, Professor Chris Woolgar, as a Fellow of the British Academy. This is a rare and high honour, which is given to a few of the most influential,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Notes from the archive"","block_context":{"text":"Notes from the archive","link":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/category\/notes-from-the-archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2020\/09\/Chris-Woolgar-web-image.jpg_SIA_JPG_fit_to_width_INLINE.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2608"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":72,"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64\/revisions\/72"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}