Ergon: Gender and Diasporic Greek Women

A major contour of Ergon’s politics involves foregrounding questions of diasporic gender and women. The interest lies in exploring how women have been acting on patriarchal structures and economic systems of exploitation. How the next generation negotiates intergenerational trauma, tradition, norms, male authority. How it articulates and frames women’s voices. The strategies and tactics of women’s agency.

Questions on the ethics and politics of representation are central to our inquiry while also the material conditions shaping women’s life trajectories.

We utilize a variety of writing genres: interview, essay, article, blog, poetry, book review. We analyze fiction, public fora, essays, experiences, cultural memories, the archive.

This cultural work primarily connects with Greek America and lately Greek Australia and is now venturing into representations cast in terms of globality. Involving conversations across national boundaries this orientation inevitably opens a space where modern Greek and transnational diasporic studies intersect. It is in this space of cross-fertilization that we also wish to cultivate inviting colleagues from various disciplines to contribute to our mission.

Ergon is the product of labor that perhaps does not advance one’s career the way publishing in other venues would. This is what makes the work of our contributors special, the ethos of practicing scholarship in various iterations because first and foremost what matters is the ethics and politics we pursue.

I thank all our contributors who make this project possible!

Sharing the list of our publications on the topic (with apologies for any inadvertent omissions).

The Feasting Virgin. Georgia Kolias. Review by Henriette Lazaridis, 2021. https://ergon.scienzine.com/article/books/the-feasting-virgin

“‘It is Chic to be Greek’ in the Greek/American Classroom: Ethnic Revival, Representation, Gender.” Yiorgos Anagnostou, 2021. https://ergon.scienzine.com/article/essays/it-is-chic-to-be-greek

“Writing Greek America: Perspectives on Gender and Sexuality.” Artemis Leontis, 2021. https://ergon.scienzine.com/article/ergastirio/perspectives-on-gender-and-sexuality

“Fathers and Daughters: Joanna Eleftheríou’s This Way Back.” Review of This Way Back, by Joanna Eleftheriou. George Kouvaros,2022. https://ergon.scienzine.com/article/books/fathers-and-daughters

“Aubrey Dawne Edwards, Artist, Educator, Storyteller, Advocate for Social Justice: An Interview.” Interview by Artemis Leontis. 2023. https://ergon.scienzine.com/article/interviews/advocate-for-social-justice

“Her Heritage Made Sense”—Diasporic Success! Women Transmitting and Queering Foodways in Annie Liontas’s Let Me Explain You.” Yiorgos Anagnostou, 2023. https://ergon.scienzine.com/article/articles/her-heritage-made-sense

“The Politics of Life and Death: Working-Class Greek Immigrant Women and the Castle Gate Mine Disaster––A Tribute.” Yiorgos Anagnostou, 2024. https://ergon.scienzine.com/article/articles/the-politics-of-life-and-death

The Mother Must Die. Koraly Dimitriadis. Review by Dean Kalymniou https://ergon.scienzine.com/article/books/koraly-dimitriadis-the-mother-must-die

Still navigating through uncharted waters in radio silence: Is anyone there? Leah Fygetakis, 2025. https://ergon.scienzine.com/article/essays/voices-of-the-other-greek-america-leah-fygetakis

The Greek Table, Artemis Leontis, 2026. https://ergon.scienzine.com/article/essays/voices-of-the-other-greek-america-artemis-leontis

Performing Belonging: Reimagining Greek America through Embodied Artistic Practice, Yona Stamatis, 2026. https://ergon.scienzine.com/article/essays/voices-of-the-other-greek-america-yona-stamatis

A Greek Revolution in America, Eleftheria Lialios, 2026. https://ergon.scienzine.com/article/essays/voices-of-the-other-greek-america-eleftheria-lialios

Across a Polarized Divide, Elaine Angelopoulos, 2026. https://ergon.scienzine.com/article/essays/voices-of-the-other-greek-america-elaine-angelopoulos

“Greek Women Speak: An Appreciation.” Dean Kalymniou. 2026. https://ergon.scienzine.com/article/essays/greek-women-speak-an-appreciation

“Articulating Women’s Voices Across Borders: Reflections on Balance the Scales: Women, Migration and Leadership 1835–2026.” Dean Kalymniou, 2026.
https://ergon.scienzine.com/article/essays/articulating-womens-voices-across-borders

“Critical Humanities, Cultural Leaders, the Ethics and Politics of Diasporic Representation.” Yiorgos Anagnostou, 2026. https://ergon.scienzine.com/article/blog/the-ethics-and-politics-of-diasporic-representation