To Infinity and Beyond! A Social History of Frontier Theory
Channel: Recording Archaeology
Date: 21/05/2019

The concept of a ‘frontier’ as a region on the margins of civilisation is primarily rooted in Antiquity, but frontiers also appear often in American national history with the Western Frontier line and particularly in Alaska, a region still known as ‘The Last Frontier’. The term is linked to ideas about civilization and barbarism, the so-called ‘untamed’ wilderness, the need of humankind to continually explore, and the inevitability of our manifest destiny to extend our control. The frontier is typically the ‘region beyond’ settlement, but the term has also been employed for the nations like Turkey and Russia just beyond the European Union. Can a territory revert to ‘frontier’ status in the population imagination (post-Brexit UK)? How do innovations regarding the functions of Roman frontiers likewise impact our perception frontiers today? This paper explores the social history of frontier theory, aiming to highlight a number of ways in which our different perceptions of the contemporary world impact our views on landscapes identified as ‘frontiers’ in the past.

Emily Hanscam (Durham University)

TAG Deva 2018
Session: (Not) the Final Frontier: Charting New Courses for Frontiers Theory