| Exile, Ostracism, and Democracy This book explores the cultural and political significance of ostracism in democratic Athens. In contrast to previous interpretations, Sara Forsdyke argues that ostracism was primarily a symbolic institution whose meaning for the Athenians was determined both by past experiences of exile and by its role as a context for the ongoing negotiation of democratic values. Sara Forsdyke is Assistant Professor of Greek and Latin in the Department of Classical Studies at the University of Michigan. |