Is there a danger for national cultures to become open to the wider world? Is there a danger, in the 21st century, to prefer uniqueness rather than pluralism? Are we facing a levelling of cultures and rights, with a universal citizenship?

History may provide us with a few lessons on these matters. The Roman Empire may be the place where the dialectical relationship between a dominant pattern and multiple forms was experimented with to the highest degree; therefore it could prove interesting to question the extent of romanisation in the western provinces of the Empire.

Through archeology, it is possible to identify the existence of peculiar cultures well into late Antiquity. Rather than arguing in terms of dichotomy (Roman-ness or resistance), the quest for accommodation and the interplay of some complex forms with mixed traditions, will be worth investigating.

The aim of this study day is to take stock, to assess the institutional and legal consequences of acculturation phenomena, and to take a fresh look at the Roman legacy.

Porgramme:

9.30 Soazick Kerneis (Université Paris Ouest-MFO)
Introduction

9.45-10.15 Jean Andreau (EHESS, Paris)
Quelques questions sur la notion de romanisation

10.15 Discussion

11.30-12.00 Jean-Pierre Poly (Université Paris Ouest)
Diocletian's common sense : some remarks about criminal compromise

12.00 Discussion

14.00-14.30 Luca Loschiavo (Università di Teramo)
Teaching law with Isidore (of Seville) in the hand. Toward the construction of a common legal culture in early medieval Europe

15.00-15.30 Boudewijn Sirks (University of Oxford, All Souls College)
What is Roman, what not? in the Formulae of Gaul

15.30 Discussion

16.30 Thomas Charles-Edwards (University of Oxford, Jesus College)
Irish and Welsh law in their European contexts