{"product_id":"identity-crises-in-apuleius-ashli-j-e-baker-9780299357702","title":"Identity Crises in Apuleius: The Empire and the Ass in Ancient Rome","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn the second century CE, the multiethnic, multilingual, and religiously diverse Roman Empire grew to its greatest extent. To maintain order, Rome relied heavily on strict social hierarchies, established not only through legal frameworks like citizenship but also through cultural markers (such as clothing and language) and personal traits (such as educational achievement). Even as Rome grew into one of the world's most powerful empires, however, its social systems strained under the stresses caused by that very growth, which encouraged cultural interaction, long-distance travel, and social mobility--all of which threatened the hierarchies that underpinned Roman order. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIt was during this time that the North African-born, Latin-speaking, Greek-educated Apuleius--whose own background showcases the multiplicity of identities available then to Roman individuals--flourished. He remains one of the ancient world's best-known authors today, thanks particularly to his famous novel, \u003ci\u003eMetamorphoses\u003c\/i\u003e, known also as \u003ci\u003eThe Golden Ass\u003c\/i\u003e. Taking a bird's-eye view of his work, Ashli J. E. Baker proffers a bold new reading of Apuleius, proposing that across his writings there is a consistent focus on the theme of identity and its instability. By placing close readings in conversation with sociocultural and material contexts, she shows that because the structures of Roman power depended on inherently unreliable markers of identity, Apuleius' work can be read as a biting critique of the fraught relationship between the individual, society, and the state in his contemporary Rome.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Ashli J. E. Baker\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0299357708\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780299357702\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Wisconsin Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/18\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 216\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.00lbs","brand":"Ashli J. E. Baker","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":48623542960383,"sku":"9780299357702","price":99.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/identity-crises-in-apuleius-ashli-j-e-baker-9780299357702","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}