n Acta Classica : Proceedings of the Classical Association of South Africa - Classics in the Modern World. A Democratic Turn?, Lorna Hardwick and Stephen Harrison (Eds.) : reviews

Abstract

For a collection of written articles, Classics in the Modern World is highly conversational. This is partly due to its origins in a preliminary e-seminar and follow-up conference on the 'democratic turn' in modern engagements with Classical Antiquity. Not only are questions that arose within these initial forums re-presented in the 'Introduction' (Hardwick and Harrison, pp. xix-xxxvii), but they are directly and indirectly raised throughout the volume's thirty contributions. Moreover, the very frame is interrogative. The content of the volume is diverse, with case studies drawn from a broad array of periods and settings and Classical receptions that might seem quite detached. Yet the question mark in the title - A Democratic Turn? - makes each individual argument a new contribution to a live debate. Whether dipping in or working more methodically through the book, the reader joins the evaluation of how Classics in modern settings might possess a democratic quality.