Australian Catholic University (ACU)

The Vandal Renaissance

Latin Literature in Post-Roman Africa (435-534CE)

Project summary

The project investigates the Latin literature of the Vandal kingdom of North Africa. It expects to identify a vibrant literary culture that celebrated multicultural diversity, embraced the Classical tradition, and contributed to Christian theology, while helping form a distinct Vandal identity. Expected outcomes include a more detailed understanding of the intellectual influences on Vandal African authors, the mechanics of Vandal court patronage, and the breadth of these authors' contribution to the history of Latin literature.

Research Impact

The project will benefit modern Australia by uncovering links between literary creativity and multicultural diversity which are as crucial for social cohesion and freedom of expression today as they were in Vandal Africa. By showing how the Latin literary tradition of Vandal Africa reflected its rich multi-cultural diversity, the project will expand consideration of the legacy of classical Antiquity beyond the confines of a Eurocentric model, and so show how the legacy of Roman and post-Roman North Africa offers ways for modern Australia to meet the challenges and opportunities of its multicultural diversity. The project will appreciate the Roman and post-Roman world of Vandal Africa as a melting pot of diverse cultures, languages, customs, and traditions, and so correct the biases of cultural imperialism engrained in traditional approaches to the literary culture of Vandal Africa. In line with Late Antique scholarship’s increased appreciation of the reality and hybridity of literary culture in the ancient world, the project will bring Australia into a global, cutting-edge conversation as to how we should conceive of the classical and Late Antique world, and understand its importance for our world today, including the ideas, laws, and values which underpin Australia’s democracy.