Prestigious History journal moves to Northumbria University

History – the Journal of the Historical Association – has found a new home after Northumbria University, in Newcastle upon Tyne, was chosen to take over the editorship of the publication.

Led by new Editor-in-Chief Dr Daniel Laqua, a team of 15 academics with expertise covering a wide variety of historical periods will work together to oversee the next phase of the 112-year-old journal’s development.

Over the coming years, they plan to develop the journal’s online presence, expand the reviews section to cover exhibitions and films as well as books, and establish a ‘forum’ section through which those working in, or with an interest in history can exchange ideas.

Northumbria University has developed a reputation for excellence in both the teaching of history and research in the subject. History at Northumbria is ranked 26th in the UK for research power, out of 81 institutions, and is placed in the top 10 for its research outputs in history (REF, 2021).

The editorship of History was decided through a competitive tender process, with Northumbria’s commitment to interdisciplinary working and breadth of research among the reasons it was chosen.

Dr Laqua said: “We have exciting plans for the future of History. By expanding the journal’s availability online, we hope to make it more accessible so that anyone with an interest in history can engage with the articles and other content.”

Professor Charlotte Alston, Head of the Department of Humanities at Northumbria University, added: “We’re really delighted to be hosting History, one of the longest running English-language History journals, in the Department of Humanities.

“It’s a real testament to the strength and breadth of our History team that they’ve been asked to take this on. We’re looking forward to seeing all the exciting developments that they have planned for the journal, and to strengthening our relationship with the Historical Association.”

Explaining why Northumbria was chosen, CEO of The Historical Association (HA) Rebecca Sullivan said: “The team at Northumbria University provided a strong and exciting tender that will take the journal into new areas while not losing any of its existing scholarly reputation.

“We are looking forward to how those new developments from the team reflect the changes and challenges that are present in academia today.

“The journal History is one of the most respected elements of the HA’s output and one of the oldest, it is something that we at the HA are proud of, so it is important to us that we have an enthusiastic and capable team as editors.

“We are looking forward to working with the university and building a strong relationship between our two organisations."

The Northumbria editorial team consists of a core committee which, as well as Dr Laqua and Professor Alson, includes Dr Jennifer Aston, Dr Katarzyna Kosior, Dr Floris van Swet and Dr Henry Miller, whose expertise covers different time periods, regions and kinds of history.

Find out more about the History research currently taking place at Northumbria University, or discover more about studying History at Northumbria.