Author(s)

ZhaoYuan Chen

Affiliation(s)

School of Business and Management, Jilin University, Changchun 130015, Jilin, China.

Corresponding Author

ZhaoYuan Chen

ABSTRACT

First published in 1971, The World of Late Antiquity written by Peter Brown profoundly shaped the research paradigm of the late antiquity period. This article offers a review of the book by analyzing the shift in its vision, the reconstruction of its narrative and postmodern character of its methodological approach. Rather than adhering to the dominant narrative of “decline and fall” since Edward Gibbon, Peter Brown reframes the late antiquity world as a period of “transformation”. This review engages with Peter Brown’s broader contributions to social, religious and spiritual history, and his emphasis on marginal regions, non-mainstream participant. The review also situates the book in the context of post-modern historiography. 

KEYWORDS

Peter Brown; Late antiquity; Transformation; Roman Empire; Post-modern historiography

CITE THIS PAPER

ZhaoYuan Chen. A review of Peter Brown's The World of Late Antiquity: vision, framework, and approach. Trends in Social Sciences and Humanities Research. 2025, 3(4): 30-35. DOI: https://doi.org/10.61784/tsshr3160.

REFERENCES

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