University of Manchester academic awarded prestigious fellowship for research into Ancient Greek democracy
Dr Alberto Esu has been announced as a recipient of a Phyle Project Fellowship to further his research into Athenian democracy.
Dr Alberto Esu, Lecturer in Classical Greek History in the Classics, Ancient History, Archaeology and Egyptology Department at the University of Manchester, has been awarded a prestigious fellowship to participate in research activities for the Phyle Project: Revitalizing Democracy in Theory and Practice. The project explores the history of civic offices in ancient Greek democracies and their relevance to contemporary republican and democratic theory.
One of only 12 fellows worldwide, Dr Esu was awarded the fellowship of 24,000 USD through nomination and competitive selection by an international committee of senior scholars. The fellowship is funded by the , which was awarded to Professor Josiah Ober for his leading contribution to the history of Athenian democracy.
As an award-holder, Alberto will support the research activities of the Phyle Project over the next three years until 2028, including participating in a workshop at Stanford University and a final conference in Athens. His studies will explore how Greek democracies structured civic offices, arguing that institutional design鈥攅specially limited and well-defined authority鈥攚as central to democratic resilience.
Reflecting on the award, Alberto said:
I am honoured to receive a Phyle Project Fellowship supported by the Balzan Prize. This award will allow me to develop my current research on a cultural history of ancient Greek offices in dialogue with contemporary debates on republicanism, civic office, and democratic accountability.
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