Lucy Grig’s most recent book is an insightful and rigorous exploration of the cultural dynamics that characterized the late antique period in southern Gaul. Grig, a seasoned scholar of Late Antiquity, deftly navigates the complex interplay between elite and popular culture during a time of profound transformation in the Roman Empire. The book represents the culmination of Grig’s extensive study of popular culture and its wider impact on late antique society, and her work significantly contributes to our understanding of how cultural practices, religious beliefs, and social structures evolved as the Western Roman Empire crumbled and new powers emerged.
The book is structured around the central premise that “popular culture”—a concept that Grig employs with caution and nuance—played a critical role in the cultural and religious shifts of the period. In her own words, “Popular culture … provides a framework for examining the cultural, social, and economic changes of late...
University of California Press