ABSTRACT
Identity in the Byzantine North Africa (533–698 CE) has commonly been framed in terms of overlapping binary oppositions: Greek vs Latin culture; Eastern vs Western Christianity; urban core vs rural hinterland; “Roman” vs “Berber.” The present chapter argues that the early decades of imperial rule are better understood as a series of contested identities, in which different categories of belonging competed for relevance. It examines first the unstable “Romanness” of the imperial military in this period and explores the sometimes complex role that it played in the imposition of imperial power. It then considers the changing status of Vandal identity in the aftermath of the collapse of that kingdom in 533–534. It argues that what had once been a mark of distinction for a ruling elite was instead associated with heresy or military insurrection, and that this had an important role in the articulation of new imperial identities within the region. The last section of the chapter discusses how the inhabitants of extra-imperial “Moorish” Africa appeared to contemporary commentators. It suggests that these accounts were more complex than is commonly assumed and reflect the extraordinary variety of North African society, which was changed still further by the imperial presence itself.
