International Journal of African Historical Studies

International Journal of African Historical Studies
Title	International Journal of African Historical Studies
Discipline	African history
Abbreviation	IJAHSt
Publisher	Boston University African Studies Center
Country	United States
History	1968–present
Frequency	Quarterly

International Journal of African Historical Studies is a peer-reviewed academic journal devoted to the history of the African continent, publishing research on precolonial, colonial, and postcolonial periods. The journal appears quarterly and features scholarship engaging with archival research, oral traditions, material culture studies, and comparative regional analysis across West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, Southern Africa, and North Africa.

History and scope

Founded in 1968 during a period of expanding African studies programs at institutions such as Harvard University, University of California, Berkeley, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of Ibadan, and Makerere University, the journal aimed to provide a venue for monographic articles, historiographical essays, and reviews addressing African pasts. Early contributors included scholars working on themes related to the Trans-Saharan trade, Atlantic slave trade, Scramble for Africa, Berlin Conference (1884–85), and anti-colonial movements like the Mau Mau Uprising and Algerian War of Independence. The scope has broadened to encompass research on social history connected to figures such as Yaa Asantewaa, Haile Selassie, Kwame Nkrumah, and Jomo Kenyatta, material culture studies linked to sites like Great Zimbabwe and Aksum, and comparative essays on labor migration involving Dahomey, Gold Coast, Cape Colony, and Portuguese Angola.

Editorial structure and publisher

The editorial board has historically included editors affiliated with the Boston University African Studies Center, University of Chicago, University of London, University of Cape Town, and University of Dar es Salaam. The editor-in-chief role rotates among scholars with expertise spanning Africanist networks such as the African Studies Association, International African Institute, and regional centers like the West African Research Association. The journal is published by the Boston University press imprint in collaboration with the African Studies Center and receives submissions from authors at institutions such as SOAS University of London, University of the Witwatersrand, University of Nairobi, University of Ghana, and Cheikh Anta Diop University.

Abstracting and indexing

The journal is indexed in major bibliographic databases and citation indexes used by historians and area specialists, including listings in JSTOR archives, Project MUSE platform catalogs, and library databases curated by organizations such as the Library of Congress and the British Library. It is abstracted in subject-specific indexes employed by researchers working on topics like the Mande empires, Swahili coast, Zanzibar, Kanem-Bornu Empire, and Kingdom of Kongo, and is discoverable through university consortiums such as HathiTrust and national repositories like the South African National Library.

Notable articles and special issues

Notable articles have addressed the historiography of the Asante Empire, the role of missionary societies including the Church Missionary Society in colonial contexts, and labor histories tied to Cape Town docks, Lagos markets, and Luanda port activities. Special issues have concentrated on themes such as the legacy of the Mandelstam Prize winners in African historiography, the centenary of the Herero and Namaqua genocide, comparative studies of the Indian Ocean slave trade and the Transatlantic slave trade, and multidisciplinary approaches to sites like Timbuktu, Gao, Kumbi Saleh, and Tiya (archaeological site). Guest editors have included historians working on empires and provinces such as the Songhai Empire, Mali Empire, Benin Kingdom, and colonial administrations like French West Africa and British Central Africa Protectorate.

Reception and impact

Scholars have cited the journal in debates over methodologies comparing archival practice at institutions such as the British National Archives, Archives Nationales d'Outre-Mer, and the National Archives of Ghana, and in theoretical discussions drawing on work by historians of figures like Edward Blyden and Benedict Wallet Vilakazi. It has influenced teaching and curricula at departments including African Studies Program at Boston University, Department of History, University of Ibadan, and School of Oriental and African Studies, and has been referenced in major reference works such as entries on the Scramble for Africa and biographies of leaders like Patrice Lumumba and Leopold Senghor.

Access and publication policies

The journal accepts original research articles, book reviews, and review essays from scholars affiliated with universities including Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, University of Lagos, University of Pretoria, and Cairo University. Submission guidelines emphasize anonymized peer review and comply with archival permissions from repositories such as the National Archives (UK), Archives Nationales (France), and regional museums like the National Museum of Kenya. Access options include institutional subscriptions through university libraries such as Columbia University and Yale University and individual subscriptions; selected back issues are available via digital platforms used by institutions like JSTOR for long-term preservation.

Category:African history journals Category:Academic journals established in 1968