Isegoria (ἰσηγορία) roughly translates as ‘the right to express one’s views freely and equally.’
The UK-based publishing house embodies this name by challenging restrictive elements of the academic world and bridging gaps between scholars worldwide; they aim to provide an accessible, free, and digital platform allowing scholars to both publish and access ancient studies content.
Founders Manolis and Stefanos, both classicists and professional editors, carried out years of research to identify barriers in the academic world. They sought to surmount these barriers by establishing Isegoria. Their first project began with the creation of the Pnyx journal: a journal made accessible for both authors and readers alike. The Pnyx is a platform for researchers to present their work without the costs or limitations that restrict so much of the publishing world. The platform makes it possible for scholars around the world to upload resources, papers, and educational materials at no expense. The general public may then access the resources at no additional cost.
Diversity is a huge part of Isegoria’s mission. Although The Pnyx is in English, they encourage authors to provide abstracts in their language of choice, allowing them to speak to local and international audiences. They also offer free language editing services to remove language barriers and support colleagues from around the world. This digital, open access journal publishes articles covering the vast chronological span of 700 B.C. to the Byzantine Empire – in varied fields from literature and history to papyrology and epigraphy!
As an organization, Isegoria, much like SASA, has grown in the last few years, and our shared efforts to create a more inclusive space for information-sharing and education in Ancient Studies has grown with us. Some highlights of Isegoria’s recent work include introducing the first ever Greek Epigraphy course in Mexico and running courses at three universities in Brazil. They have also held expert-led panels on the future of Classics in sub–Saharan Africa, as their mission to increase scholarly access spans worldwide. At the moment, they are ready to publish their 4th issue of The Pnyx and are in the process of publishing two new edited volumes.
Isegoria’s mission overlaps with that of our own at Save the Ancient Studies Alliance (SASA), to make Ancient Studies more accessible and to provide a space for collaboration among like-minded scholars. We are so excited for what the future holds for both Isegoria and our partnership which will support both of our missions and ultimately increase the effort towards dissemination of information about the classics, archaeology, and the humanities.