The Nature of Three History Journals

Abstract

History journals reflect the evolution of historical scholarship. As the historical discipline develops, it is undergoing a transformation in subject emphasis and in methodological procedures. Although still a major emphasis, political history is no longer the mainstay of historical research. Social history and its subfields such as family, childhood, and gender history, indicate a major shift in orientation. Intellectual and cultural history also reflect a mutation in interest that the journal literature indicates. Disciplinarity and interdisciplinarity can be monitored in periodical literature through a simple citation study.