Ethnicity, ethnic identity. Some remarks for the Late Antiquity

The concept of ethnogenesis, created by R. Wenskus and developed by his heirs from the Vienna School, has been challenged for the past few years by some scholars who prefer to use the expression "ethnic identity". These theories focus on the concept of ethnicity which is understood as a fundamental element of identities during the fifth century AD. The aim of this paper is to reassess the different definitions of ethnicity which have been used by Late Antique scholars and to question sources in order to evaluate whether ethnicity is really a key criterion for defining aristocratical identity in the European barbarian kingdoms, in particular in relation with the acculturation process.