OIKOYMENH Publishers was officially established in 1991, and since 1995 it has had the status of an independent civic association. It was at the instigation of Ladislav Hejdánek that the 1970s saw the appearance of the first underground publications (“samizdat”) of philosophical and theological literature under the heading of OIKOYMENH, which was then founded in the effort to reinvigorate the long-devastated spiritual life of the community. The present-day publishing house continues in this tradition under new political and scholarly circumstances.

Our chief mission is to provide access to key works that represent the best traditions of European philosophy and theology. The activities of OIKOYMENH also include publishing of periodicals, book distribution, organisation of seminars and conferences and other public activities.

Our production is divided into several series. Major works by key thinkers come out in series with the appropriate historical focus: Library of the Classical Tradition, Library of the Early Christian Tradition, Library of the Medieval Tradition, Library of the Renaissance Thought and Library of Modern and Present-Day Thought. Secondary literature and texts by authors not belonging to the ranks of classical thinkers make up the Oikúmené Series. The History of Philosophy series gradually brings out Czech translations of the best contemporary monographs on individual periods of the history of European philosophy. The unique project of Fontes Latini Bohemorum presents so far unpublished Latin works of the Czech Middle Ages or of Humanism in a critical edition accompanied by a Czech translation, notes, and an introductory study. An important continuous effort is the publication of the Collected Works of Jan Patočka. In the Pomfil series we offer, in translation, collections of essays on particular topics of interest for specialists and advanced students. A separate series is formed by Dictionaries, miscellanies and textbooks. An intrinsic part of our production is Reflexe, a journal of philosophy and theology.

Collaborators with our publishing house or members of our Editorial Board are
a number of leading Czech philosophers and theologians:

M. Balabán, M. Bič, I. Dubský, L. Hejdánek, I. Chvatík, F. Karfík, L. Karfíková,
P. Kouba, J. Michálek, M. Petříček, P. Pokorný, J. Sokol, J. Smolík,
S. Sousedík, M. Šedina, J. S. Trojan and many others.

The Chairman of the Editorial Board is Pavel Kouba; the Secretary is Aleš Havlíček.

In the fifteen years of its official existence OIKOYMENH has published more than 300 titles.