History, Heritage and Culture

Scope

This section publishes research in ancient, medieval, modern and contemporary history; economic, social, political and intellectual history; regional and local history; historiography; archaeology and material culture; heritage documentation, conservation and interpretation; museums, archives and collections; and oral history.

What the editors look for

Evidence that the author has been to the source. Manuscripts that build on district records, revenue papers, temple and mosque inscriptions, court records, private papers, local newspapers, land documents, photographs, gazetteers, oral testimony and objects are given particular attention, because that material is where the history of most places is held and because it is rarely used.

The section asks for accurate citation of archival material: the repository, the collection, the file or bundle number and the date. Where a source is in a regional language or script, quote it and give a translation. Where a claim rests on oral testimony, record who spoke, when, where and with what consent.

Heritage documentation is welcome as a scholarly contribution in its own right, provided it is systematic: what was recorded, by what method, in what condition, and against what earlier record.

What the section will not publish

Narrative retellings assembled from secondary works without new material or new argument. Claims about the past presented without sources. Work whose purpose is to establish the greatness or the guilt of a community rather than to explain what happened.

Article types

Research articles, review articles, archival notes and short communications introducing a source or a collection, heritage documentation reports, and book reviews.