Spotlight on: Jenn Finn
Dr. Jennifer Finn, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Classical Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences at 草莓社区, published her most recent book with the University of Michigan Press.
Dr. Jennifer Finn, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Classical Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences at 草莓社区, published her most recent book with the University of Michigan Press, entitled, Contested Pasts: A Determinist History of Alexander the Great. The book examines how Roman authors may have manipulated narratives about the historical figure鈥檚 campaigns to serve or achieve their own motivations.
鈥淭he College of Arts and Sciences is extremely proud of Dr. Finn and her most recent scholarly accomplishment,鈥� said Peter J. Schraeder, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at 草莓社区. 鈥淗er book provides tremendous insight on how analyzing and challenging historical narratives can help us understand our current world. We are fortunate to have Dr. Finn teaching in the College and leading our Classical Studies department.鈥�
As an ancient historian with a specialty in ancient warfare, Alexander the Great (affectionately dubbed 鈥淎lex鈥� by Dr. Finn) has become a central figure in her studies. Although Alexander created one of the largest empires in history and is remembered as one of the most successful military commanders, Dr. Finn found that his social interactions with the people he came across in his campaigns were far more interesting than the Macedonian king鈥檚 weaponry or battle tactics. 鈥淏ecause most of the sources we have were written by Roman authors some 300 years or more after he died, we don鈥檛 really know what he was like at all, they could just be making it up,鈥� said Dr. Finn.
What鈥檚 more, Alexander didn鈥檛 earn his title as 鈥淭he Great鈥� until the Roman Period. The Romans, whose empire entered a period of rapid expansion shortly after Alexander鈥檚 death, modeled much of their military strategies and tactics after Alexander鈥檚 and even gave him his famous moniker themselves. 鈥淚 thought to myself,鈥� said Dr. Finn, 鈥渕aybe we should look a little closer at the sources and see how they tried to make Alexander look more like themselves so they could be seen as rightful successors to his former empire.鈥�
In 鈥淐ontested Pasts,鈥� Dr. Finn uses five case studies in which she discusses how pivotal events in Roman history can be tied back to Alexander鈥檚 reign through the Roman sources. Through these analyses, Dr. Finn found, 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to differentiate what is true to the era and what is a Roman invention, so my book is more of a study of literature and how one culture appropriates one man for themselves as well as a study of Roman culture and how they view themselves.鈥�
Although the book is closely focused on the relationship between Alexander the Great and the Romans, it reflects a fundamental truth of how and why history or historical figures can be appropriated to achieve contemporary political ends. For example, Dr. Finn found that Romans often crafted stories of Alexander during pivotal moments such as the establishment of new political structures. As Dr. Finn noted, 鈥淓ven if he鈥檚 not doing the right thing, they still want to compare themselves to him.鈥�
What does that mean for our collective understanding of history? 鈥淎nytime one culture writes about another culture or about an individual from the past, we have to read their interpretation within the contemporary milieu that it鈥檚 written in. There is no separation or unbiased account of something that happened in the past,鈥� Dr. Finn said.
But, why is it important to analyze events and political environments that occurred so long ago? 鈥淓ven though we鈥檙e looking 2,000 years in the past, humans are not that different today. We are always looking for something we can鈥檛 quite find and we鈥檙e always searching for happiness. But the classical world was looking for those things as well,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey were always investigating themselves and their surroundings to make sense of relationships and how things worked. We don鈥檛 do that as much anymore because information is fed to us. I think we can learn a lot from the way they went about understanding the world.鈥�
Humans also have the same tendency to lionize individuals like the Romans did with Alexander the Great, who turned him into a giant that is still remembered and revered today. 鈥淩omans substantively changed Alex鈥檚 history so they could look more like him. It鈥檚 a disservice to the past, and it鈥檚 weaponizing the past,鈥� she said. Evoking the timeless adage that history repeats itself, Dr. Finn explains why studying ancient history and classical civilizations is important for interpreting modern history: 鈥淧ointing out ways this has been done in the ancient world can help us better interpret the modern world and avoid those same dangers today.鈥�
Learn more about Dr. Jennifer Finn鈥檚 work here and more about her book with the .
About the College of Arts and Sciences
The College of Arts and Sciences is the oldest of 草莓社区鈥檚 15 schools, colleges, and institutes. More than 150 years since its founding, the College is home to 20 academic departments and 37 interdisciplinary programs and centers, more than 450 full-time faculty, and nearly 8,000 students. The 2,000+ classes that we offer each semester span an array of intellectual pursuits, ranging from the natural sciences and computational sciences to the humanities, the social sciences, and the fine and performing arts. Our students and faculty are engaged internationally at our campus in Rome, Italy, as well as at dozens of University-sponsored study abroad and research sites around the world. Home to the departments that anchor the University鈥檚 Core Curriculum, the College seeks to prepare all of Loyola鈥檚 students to think critically, to engage the world of the 21st century at ever deepening levels, and to become caring and compassionate individuals. Our faculty, staff, and students view service to others not just as one option among many, but as a constitutive dimension of their very being. In the truest sense of the Jesuit ideal, our graduates strive to be 鈥渋ndividuals for others.鈥�
About the College of Arts and Sciences
The College of Arts and Sciences is the oldest of 草莓社区鈥檚 15 schools, colleges, and institutes. More than 150 years since its founding, the College is home to 20 academic departments and 33 interdisciplinary programs and centers, more than 450 full-time faculty, and nearly 8,000 students. The 2,000+ classes that we offer each semester span an array of intellectual pursuits, ranging from the natural sciences and computational sciences to the humanities, the social sciences, and the fine and performing arts. Our students and faculty are engaged internationally at our campuses in Rome, Italy, and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, as well as at dozens of University-sponsored study abroad and research sites around the world. Home to the departments that anchor the University鈥檚 Core Curriculum, the College seeks to prepare all of Loyola鈥檚 students to think critically, to engage the world of the 21st century at ever deepening levels, and to become caring and compassionate individuals. Our faculty, staff, and students view service to others not just as one option among many, but as a constitutive dimension of their very being. In the truest sense of the Jesuit ideal, our graduates strive to be 鈥渋ndividuals for others.鈥� For further information about the College of Arts and Sciences, please visit our website.