H-Net Explained

H-Net
Commercial:	No
Language:	English
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Owner:	Michigan State University
Author:	Richard J. Jensen
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H-Net ("Humanities & Social Sciences Online") is an interdisciplinary forum for scholars in the humanities and social sciences. It is best known for hosting electronic mailing lists organized by academic disciplines; according to the organization's website, H-Net lists reached over 200,000 subscribers^[1] in more than 90 countries.

The H-Net Network has grown until it is now endorsed by many academic professional organizations. Its over 180 topic- or discipline-specific lists are often the primary internet forum for scholars. Individual lists are edited by a team of scholars and each has a board of editors.^[2] The Department of History at Michigan State University hosts H-Net.^[3]

Online services

In addition to its email lists, H-Net provides three related online services:

• H-Net Reviews: 46,000+ reviews of books and other publications, commissioned and published on its website and through its listservs^[4]
• H-Net Job Guide: academic position announcements, available on its website and through email^[5]
• H-Net Academic Announcements: announcements of academic conferences, calls for papers, and programs^[6]

Discussion networks

Many of the lists deal with various areas of historical study. Within two years of its founding, Steven A. Leibo in a newsletter post described H-Net as being "among the most dynamic and effective contributions" to the internationalization of scholarship.

History

H-Net began in 1992 as an initiative of Prof. Richard J. Jensen when he was at the History department at the University of Illinois Chicago, to assist historians "to easily communicate current research and teaching interests; to discuss new approaches, methods and tools of analysis; to share information on access to library catalogs and other electronic databases; and to test new ideas and share comments on current historiography."^[7] H-net started moving operations to Michigan State in 1994.^[8] H-Net is now organized as an international consortium of scholars in the humanities and social sciences and its networks are hosted by Michigan State University.

In 2023, the H-Net president was Lorna L. Zukas, Professor of Sociology and Global Studies at National University (California).

In 2024, the H-Net president is Evan Rothera, Assistant Professor History, Social Sciences, and Philosophy at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith.

See also

• hprints - an open access repository for Nordic academic research in the arts and humanities

Further reading

• Matthew Gilmore, "H-Net: Digital Discussion for Historians", Perspectives: The Newsletter of the American Historical Association, 45: 5 (May 2007).
• Richard J. Jensen, "Internet's Republic of Letters: H-Net for Scholars", (1997). A discussion of H-Net and its origins from the perspective of the founder. Published at members.aol.com.
• Mark Lawrence Kornbluh, "H-Net: Humanities and Social Sciences OnLine," Perspectives: The Newsletter of the American Historical Association, 37: 2 (February 1999).
• Joel D. Kitchens, "Clio on the Web: An Annotated Bibliography of Select E-Journals for History," Perspectives: The Newsletter of the American Historical Association, 38: 2 (Feb. 2000).
• John McClymer, The AHA Guide to Teaching and Learning with New Media, (Washington: The American Historical Association), 2005.
• Andrew McMichael, "The Historian, the Internet, and the Web: A Reassessment," Perspectives: The Newsletter of the American Historical Association, 36: 2 (Feb. 1998).
• Jeremy D. Popkin, From Herodotus to H-Net: The Story of Historiography (Oxford UP, 2015,).

Notes and References

1. See "What's Happening at H-Net?" H-Net (2018)
2. Steven A. Leibo, "H-Net and the Internationalization of Scholarship," Perspectives: The Newsletter of the American Historical Association, 33: 5 (May–June 1995).
3. Web site: The Department of History and Humanities Technology . . 2012-10-20 . Michigan State is also the home of H-Net, an international academic organization that offers over a hundred email discussion lists along with the leading online repositories for book reviews, job postings, and academic announcements . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121018153500/http://history.msu.edu/humanities-technology/ . 2012-10-18 .
4. Web site: H-Net Reviews . H-net.org . 2018-12-13.
5. Web site: H-Net Job Guide . H-net.org . 2012-10-20.
6. Web site: H-Net Academic Announcements . H-net.org . 2018-12-13.
7. Richard Jensen, "H-Net announces 13 new scholarly lists in history," E-Mail of 24 Jun 1993; Thomas Zielke, "Official Introduction of The History Network " E-Mail on GRMNHIST - German History Forum, 23 Feb 93
8. Web site: H-Net: It's Past, Present, and Future . 2024-05-02 . www.h-net.org.