Ethnic Identity and the Archaeology of the aduentus Saxonum

For centuries, archaeologists have excavated the soils of Britain to uncover finds from the early medieval past. These finds have been used to reconstruct the alleged communities, migration patterns, and expressions of identity of coherent groups who can be regarded as ethnic 'Anglo-Saxons'. Even in the modern day, when social constructionism has been largely accepted by scholars, this paradigm still persists.

This book challenges the ethnic paradigm. As the first historiographical study of approaches to ethnic identity in modern 'Anglo-Saxon' archaeology, it reveals these approaches to be incompatible with current scholarly understandings of ethnicity. Drawing upon post-structuralist approaches to self and community, it highlights the empirical difficulties the archaeology of ethnicity in early medieval Britain faces, and proposes steps toward an alternative understanding of the role played by the communities of lowland Britain – both migrants from across the North Sea and those already present – in transforming the Roman world.

Harland James M. :

James M. Harland works on the history and archaeology of the late Roman Empire and its early medieval successor states. After receiving his PhD in History from the University of York, he took up a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Tübingen. He is currently a Research Fellow at the University of Bonn.

"This monograph is a timely discussion of the reasons why heavy reliance on ethnic interpretations of grave artefacts (which has closed out substantial discussion of other interpretative possibilities) remains problematic. In critiquing the tenacious reluctance of some scholars to abandon this longstanding paradigm, James Harland's analysis is both nuanced and balanced. The book’s prose is lucid and accessible, the argument is thoughtful and well supported with historical and archaeological evidence, and this monograph makes a most welcome addition to the field."
- Professor Bonnie Effros, University of Liverpool

''It is based on wide reading of the literature relating to what is still mostly described as the Anglo-Saxon migration to Britain, of which the author presents an uncompromisingly critical analysis.''
- Catherine Hills, Newnham College, University of Cambridge, Early Medieval Europe 2023 31 (2)

"His [Harland's] methodology, approach, and conclusions should be a game-changer. The book is beautifully written and clearly argued, respectful of existing work yet clear in its irrefutable critical analysis. Convincing and important, it deserves to become a classic, stimulating further research for years to come."
- Susan Oosthuizen, University of Cambridge, Speculum, 98/4 (October 2023)

"This book pursues an unswerving argument, highly attentive to the epistemological detail... the principal critique is both compelling and invigorating"
-- Toby Martin, Medieval Archaeology, June 2023

“[Harland’s] sustained analysis of the intellectual frameworks standing behind the interpretation of the period’s funerary archaeology, and his discussions of the ways in which contemporary thinkers outside of archaeology can help us develop new questions, make this an invaluable work. Archaeologists, historians and graduate student should read it.”
-- Robin Fleming, Studies in Late Antiquity, Spring 2024