The Role of Roman Gladiators in Shaping Civilization

Delve into the intricate analysis of historical discourse in modernity with "Gladiators and the Discourse of Civilization." Drawing inspiration from Michel Foucault's insights on the political strategies of historical discourse, this dissertation meticulously examines the historiographic study of gladiators as a revealing text that exposes deeper truths about the modern West's self-image as the epitome of 'civilization.' Foucault's notion of a 'discourse of perpetual war' in modern history frames the narrative, illustrating a perpetual conflict between history's speaking subject and a constructed figure of the barbarian against which 'civilized society' defines and defends itself.