In June of this year, the AIBR editorial team received an acquisition offer from a well-known broker specializing in journal copyrights. The proposal suggested an initial negotiation starting at $800,000 for our two publications: AIBR, Revista de Antropología Iberoamericana and ARIES, Anuario de Antropología Iberoamericana. Although this was not the first time AIBR had been approached with such an offer, it was the first instance where the initial bid included a substantial amount. As with previous offers—for reasons that are likely evident to our readers—our response was to express gratitude for the interest and politely decline.

The ability to control communication is one of the most potent tools in both politics and commerce. Specifically, the management of scientific publications has long been a lucrative enterprise dominated by a small oligopoly of publishers. Universities and colleges fund research, pay for the evaluation of articles, compensate researchers, and cover the costs of maintaining the campuses where this work takes place. Yet, when the findings of these research efforts are published, the same institutions must pay again to access the journals where their researchers’ work appears. Even when these expenses are not directly borne by the universities, they are ultimately absorbed by the institutions that support them. By now, our readers likely have a clearer understanding of who benefits and who does not. In this profitable chain of transactions, scientific journals form an indispensable link, nothing would function without them.

This is why controlling scientific publication is an element of power. Like any form of power, however, it becomes corrupted when used for personal gain or to benefit only a few. The system would not endure without being bolstered by incentives, gifts, or enticements—exactly what the market provides. For an example, consider the opening of this article.

ARIES is inspired by initiatives such as the Leiden Manifesto against metric-driven evaluation or the Budapest Declaration for open access to knowledge. It was conceived as a “system that dismantles the system.” What ARIES aims to challenge is the symbolic power described by Bourdieu—“power that is exercised over someone who accepts it as normal.” This intent is evident in the questions users often ask about ARIES: Is it a journal? Is it a repository? Are conference proceedings? Is it a portal? Is it a database of journals? Are you indexed? What are the publication deadlines?

Our answer avoids the trap of the dilemma. ARIES is not an “either/or” but a “this and that,” a system of knowledge that adds value from all sides. It is all of these things—and more. To further clarify, it is worth considering what Ricardo Sanmartín discusses in his insightful essay “Creation and Negation,” where he describes “clarifying with negation” as defining something by what it is not. ARIES is not a business subject to the supply and demand of the market, it is not owned by an oligopoly of publishers, and it is not a system influenced by the shifting subsidies tied to political ideologies. In short, it is not the kind of journal that authors typically take for granted as normal. Instead, ARIES is a journal created to fulfill the needs of authors who seek recognition for their work.

And let us double-click on that idea of ​​recognition. We are not in this profession for financial gain; if that were our priority, we would be earning more in the corporate sector. Nor are we here to wield political power, as anthropology has yet to achieve the level of social influence we might wish for. Instead, we are here and committed to our work for a matter of recognition —regardless of its perceived quality—and with the idea to show it without having to navigate the myriad economic, cultural, linguistic, and time barriers that persist in today’s academic publishing world.

Economic barriers have already been mentioned, but cultural challenges confront us from the very start of research. As for linguistic barriers, the choice of one language over another can determine whether your work is even considered. The time barriers are equally significant. One only needs to reflect on how long it takes for a manuscript to move from submission to publication in a scientific journal—if it even makes it that far.

ARIES aims to foster the creative spirit, to be a space for the exchange of knowledge about social events from different latitudes. Authors can publish their work without traditional barriers. In addition, they can update their texts to improve quality with new versions. Apart from the ultimate deadlines of life itself, there are no publication deadlines in ARIES. We have a team of section directors who will evaluate the most outstanding articles that have been published in each period. This is how our newsletter, “What to read in anthropology?” is made.

In each issue we will integrate three groups of articles: “Highlights”, “Most Read” and “New Articles”. This way, all manuscript titles will have the option of being consulted by our more than 10,000 readers. The number of articles is growing, and we have a team of thirty people who are currently contacting anthropologists in over 20 countries to openly bring the research that is created each year in anthropology. ARIES seeks to recover our ability to be recognized, it seeks to return authorship to the authors. That is why we are grateful to once again count on the support of all our readers in this new and exciting stage of the AIBR Association.

Each issue will feature three groups of articles: “Highlights,” “Most Read,” and “New Articles.” This ensures that all manuscript titles have the opportunity to reach our audience of over 10,000 readers. With a growing number of articles, our dedicated team of thirty people is actively engaging with anthropologists in more than 20 countries to openly share the research produced annually in the field of anthropology. ARIES is committed to reclaiming the recognition authors deserve and restoring true authorship. We are deeply grateful for the continued support of our readers as we embark on this new and exciting journey of the AIBR Association.

ARIES, Editorial Board

Sergio López

Luis E. Andrade Silva

María Elena Collado Sánchez

Valentina Fajreldin Chuaqui

Isabel González Enríquez

Xerardo Pereiro

José Luis Anta-Félez

Adriana Rodríguez Barraza

Lydia Rodríguez Cuevas

Doris Sayago

María Cristina Saldaña

Sara Mehrgut