U.S. Catholic Historian Explained

U.S. Catholic Historian
Cover:File:USCH 41 4 Fall 2023.png
Abbreviation:U.S. Cathol. Hist.
Discipline:History
Editor:David J. Endres
Publisher:Catholic University of America Press
Country:United States
History:1980–present
Frequency:Quarterly
Issn:0735-8318
Eissn:1947-8224
Jstor:07358318
Oclc:7526668
Website:https://www.cuapress.org/journals/us-catholic-historian/

The U.S. Catholic Historian is a peer-reviewed quarterly journal published by Catholic University of America Press.[1]

It is devoted exclusively to the history of the Catholic Church in the United States. Each issue contains articles on a theme selected by the editor and the journal's editorial board.

History

The first issue was published in the fall of 1980. At its founding, the U.S. Catholic Historian was the official publication of the United States Catholic Historical Society (now inactive).

Beginning in 1984, each issue of U.S. Catholic Historian was dedicated to a particular theme. Themes have included urbanism, gender, anti-Catholicism, modernism, black Catholics, Hispanic heritage, and social activism, among many others.

In noting the journal's distinctive approach, historian James T. Fisher wrote, “[T]he journal has presented diverse voices, topics, and approaches as a fundamental organizing principle….USCH quickly grew from a modest format to an indispensable outlet for new scholarship that defined an emerging field and gave its scholars ‘a journal of one’s own.’”[2]

Contributors include specialists in the field of American Catholic history, but also journalists, archivists, theologians, and sociologists. Notable contributors have included Andrew Greeley, Michael Novak, Martin E. Marty, Robert A. Orsi, Bishop Ricardo Ramírez, Bishop John S. Cummins, Mark A. Noll, Albert J. Raboteau, and M. Shawn Copeland.

Publishers

The U.S. Catholic Historian is published by Catholic University of America Press. It was previously published by Our Sunday Visitor Press (1993-2000) and University of Notre Dame Press (2001-2006).

Editors

The U.S. Catholic Historians founding editor was James J. Mahoney. He was succeeded in 1983 by Christopher J. Kauffman who edited the journal until 2013.[3] The current editor is David J. Endres.

Abstracting and indexing

The journal is published in print form, but also forms part of electronic collections, including Project MUSE, JSTOR, and EBSCO Humanities Abstracts.

Further reading

David J. Endres, ed., Remapping the History of Catholicism in the United States: Essays from the U.S. Catholic Historian (Catholic University of America Press, 2017).

Notes and References

  1. Catholic University of America Press, "U.S. Catholic Historian," https://www.cuapress.org/journals/us-catholic-historian/
  2. James T. Fisher, “Christopher Kauffman, the U.S. Catholic Historian, and the Future of American Catholic History,” U.S. Catholic Historian 24, no. 2 (Spring 2006): 19-26; quote at 20.
  3. George P. Matysek Jr., “Christopher Kauffman, prolific church historian, dies at 81,” Catholic Review, March 2, 2018, https://catholicreview.org/christopher-kauffman-prolific-church-historian-dies-81/.