The Crisis of Masculinity in the Age of Augustus

The political rupture caused by the ascension of Augustus Caesar in ancient Rome, which ended the centuries-old Republic, had drastic consequences for the performance and understanding of masculinity in a markedly androcentric society. Melanie Racette-Campbell examines how Rome's elite men navigated this liminal moment between Republic and Empire when the total accumulation of power by one man foreclosed avenues of, and appreciation for, competition as the means of constructing and performing their gender. The process of reconceptualizing a definition of Roman manhood, as revealed through a complex public-private discourse, was as tumultuous and unsteady as the political events of the time. By carefully reading contemporary texts focused on the precise moment of transition, Racette-Campbell unveils the complexity, contours, and nuances of the Augustan crisis of masculinity.