Ethnohistory (journal)

Ethnohistory (journal)
Title	Ethnohistory
Discipline	Ethnohistory; Indigenous studies; Anthropology; History
Abbreviation	Ethnohistory
Editor	None
Publisher	Duke University Press
Country	United States
History	1954–present
Frequency	Quarterly
Issn	0014-1828
Eissn	1548-1558

Ethnohistory (journal) is a peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes interdisciplinary research on the histories, cultures, and lifeways of Indigenous peoples and other communities, emphasizing documentation, interpretation, and critical analysis. Founded in the mid-20th century, the journal brings together scholarship that intersects anthropology, history, archaeology, folklore, and legal studies, engaging with archival sources, oral traditions, material culture, and ethnographic methods. Contributors have included historians, anthropologists, archaeologists, legal scholars, and activists whose work connects to specific peoples, regions, and institutions.

History

The journal was established in 1954 amid postwar expansions in area studies and social science publishing that involved institutions such as the American Anthropological Association, the Smithsonian Institution, the Newberry Library, and university presses like the University of Chicago Press and later Duke University Press. Early editorial networks included scholars affiliated with the American Indian Studies Association, the Society for American Archaeology, and regional archives such as the Bureau of Indian Affairs records and the holdings of the National Anthropological Archives. Over decades Ethnohistory has reflected shifts in scholarship connected to events and movements including the Red Power movement, the American Indian Movement, and legal developments such as the Indian Reorganization Act debates and cases litigated before the United States Supreme Court. Institutional partnerships have linked university centers at Harvard University, University of California, Berkeley, University of New Mexico, and McGill University with fieldwork projects in regions like the Great Plains, the Great Lakes, the Caribbean, and Mesoamerica.

Scope and focus

The journal emphasizes interdisciplinary work that engages with archival research, oral history, ethnoarchaeology, and historical ethnography. Typical contributions examine relationships between Indigenous nations such as the Cherokee Nation, the Navajo Nation, the Haida, the Maya, and the Anishinaabe and colonial states like the Spanish Empire, the British Empire, the French Republic, and the United States. Articles address treaties such as the Treaty of Greenville, episodes like the Trail of Tears, and processes including missionization under figures linked to the Jesuits and the Dominican Order. Work also engages with legal frameworks exemplified by cases like Worcester v. Georgia and statutes including the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924.

Editorial board and peer review

The editorial board comprises scholars from institutions such as Yale University, University of Toronto, University of Arizona, Brown University, and University of Oxford with expertise spanning archaeology, history, and law. Peer review is double-blind or single-blind depending on submission type, drawing reviewers from organizations like the American Historical Association, the American Anthropological Association, the Latin American Studies Association, and the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association. Editorial decisions take into account methodological rigor exemplified in works by scholars associated with projects like the Heye Foundation collections, the Plains Indian Cultural Survival initiatives, and collaborative work involving tribal archives such as those of the Choctaw Nation and the Tlingit.

Publication and access

Published quarterly by Duke University Press, the journal appears in print and electronic formats with distribution through academic libraries at institutions such as the Library of Congress, the British Library, and major university consortia. Special issues have been guest-edited in collaboration with centers including the Indian Law Resource Center, the Center for Indigenous Studies at UC Davis, and museums like the Field Museum and the American Museum of Natural History. The journal supports translations and provides space for essays that engage curatorial practices at institutions such as the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.

Abstracting and indexing

Ethnohistory is indexed in major databases and bibliographic services used by historians and anthropologists, including indexes maintained by the Modern Language Association, the American Historical Review listings, the Social Sciences Citation Index, and regional bibliographies related to Latin America, the Caribbean, and Arctic studies. The journal’s inclusion in such services facilitates discoverability for scholars working on topics connected to archives like the Archivo General de Indias, the National Archives and Records Administration, and the British National Archives.

Notable articles and impact

Notable contributions have analyzed colonial encounters involving actors such as Hernán Cortés, Samuel de Champlain, Pocahontas, and Tecumseh in relation to Indigenous communities including the Inca, the Pueblo peoples, the Wampanoag, and the Lakota. Influential pieces have reinterpreted events like the Pueblo Revolt, the King Philip's War, and the Mexican War of Independence from Indigenous perspectives and have reassessed archival silences in collections tied to the Hudson's Bay Company and missionary societies like the Methodist Episcopal Church. The journal has shaped debates about repatriation linked to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act and contributed to dialogues on land claims adjudicated in forums such as the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

Awards and recognition

Authors publishing in the journal have received recognition from societies including the American Historical Association, the Society for Ethnohistory, the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association, and awards like the James Mooney Award and prizes administered by university presses and foundations such as the National Endowment for the Humanities. Special-issue editors and contributors have been honored by institutions such as the American Philosophical Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences for advancing understanding of Indigenous histories and intercultural encounters.

Category:Academic journals Category:Anthropology journals Category:History journals