The decline and fall of the Roman empire and its place in contemporary American political discourse, 2003-present

Dodd, Leslie

Abstract

This paper examines the ways in which the trope of Roman declinism was used by media and political commentators during the period 2003-2008. It considers how, during the Iraq War, both the political Left and Right in the United States seized on a narrative of moral, political and military decline that was predicated upon an explicit comparison of the USA under George W Bush to the Later Roman Empire. The paper concludes by demonstrating that Roman declinism has been a part of American political discourse since the foundation of the country and that the Roman empire has come to serve a semiotic warning role that is routinely used and abused to serve political ends.

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (unpublished)
• Conference Name: Classical Empires in Contemporary Culture
• Start Date: May 23, 2008
• Deposit Date: Aug 20, 2019
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/2067773