Ancient Borderlands Research Focus Group

Looking out from the center, Colin Whiting examines the ways in which a group might conceive of “the other” in their rhetoric. Specifically focusing on the ways in which Christians defined themselves in antiquity, Whiting shows some of the ways in which terms and ideas about previously encountered enemies—Jews and Pagans—were brought forward and used again on groups of other Christians. In Borderlands theory, the maintenance of boundaries and borders is a well-known phenomenon, and it often takes the shape of re-inscribing the rules, and thus redefining the sides of a conflict or interaction. Whiting engages heavily with the work of Daniel Boyarin, and shows the shifting ideas and identities involved in the formation of Christian communities.