Journal of American Ethnic History

Journal of American Ethnic History
Title	Journal of American Ethnic History
Discipline	Ethnic history
Publisher	University of Minnesota Press
Country	United States
Frequency	Quarterly
History	1981–present

Journal of American Ethnic History is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes scholarship on the histories of racial and ethnic groups in the United States. Founded in the early 1980s, the journal situates studies of African American communities, Native American nations, and immigrant populations from Asia, Europe, and Latin America within broader political, social, and cultural narratives. It serves as a venue for research that connects local case studies to national events such as the Civil Rights Movement, the Mexican Revolution, and the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965.

History

The journal was established amid historiographical shifts influenced by works associated with scholars from institutions like Harvard University, Columbia University, and the University of California, Berkeley. Early issues responded to debates sparked by publications from figures connected to Theodore Roosevelt era scholarship, the legacies of the New Deal, and comparative studies involving the Great Migration and Chinese Exclusion Act. Founding editors drew on networks linking the Organization of American Historians, the American Historical Association, and scholars affiliated with centers such as the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and the Benson Latin American Collection. Over subsequent decades the journal engaged with scholarship relating to events including the Trail of Tears, the Spanish-American War, and postwar movements connected to World War II and the Cold War.

Scope and focus

The journal emphasizes historical analyses of communities tied to the experiences of African Americans, Latinos in the United States, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Indigenous peoples of the Americas. It publishes work examining intersections with institutions such as the Supreme Court of the United States in cases like Brown v. Board of Education, labor movements connected to figures like Cesar Chavez, and urban transformations in cities including New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Articles frequently situate ethnic histories in relation to national policies such as the Homestead Act, wartime mobilization during World War I and World War II, and civil rights legislation like the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Comparative and transnational studies link U.S. ethnic history to events such as the Mexican Revolution, the Philippine–American War, and migrations prompted by the Irish Potato Famine.

Editorial board and publisher

The journal is published by the University of Minnesota Press and has featured editors and board members affiliated with universities including University of Minnesota, University of Chicago, Yale University, Duke University, Rutgers University, University of Texas at Austin, and University of California, Los Angeles. Editorial oversight has included scholars whose work engages with historians such as W. E. B. Du Bois, John Hope Franklin, Howard Zinn, and Ira Berlin, as well as contemporary figures like Martha Biondi, Mae Ngai, and Roger Daniels. The board often collaborates with professional organizations including the American Studies Association, the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, and the Latin American Studies Association.

Abstracting and indexing

The journal is indexed in major services and bibliographies used by historians and social scientists, including databases associated with JSTOR collections, indexing from entities like ProQuest, and bibliographic services connected to the Modern Language Association and the American Historical Review citation networks. Libraries catalog the journal in systems administered by organizations such as the Library of Congress, the OCLC, and research repositories related to institutions including the Newberry Library and the Bancroft Library.

Reception and impact

Scholars of American history, Ethnic studies, and related fields have cited the journal in debates about narratives of inclusion and exclusion shaped by episodes like the Red Summer of 1919, the Zoot Suit Riots, and legislative milestones such as the Immigration Act of 1924. Reviews in venues connected to the Journal of American History, the American Historical Review, and regional journals in areas like the Midwest and the South have noted the journal’s role in elevating work on underrepresented groups, influencing curricula at institutions such as Columbia University Teachers College, Stanford University, and the University of Michigan. Its impact is reflected in citations alongside monographs from presses including Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, and Princeton University Press.

Notable articles and special issues

The journal has published influential articles addressing labor struggles connected to the Pullman Strike, migration studies involving the Great Migration and the Bracero Program, and examinations of legal frameworks from cases like Korematsu v. United States. Special issues have focused on themes including diaspora studies engaging Cuban exile communities, comparative indigenous histories of the Cherokee Nation and Navajo Nation, and transnational perspectives linking the United States to events in Japan, Mexico, China, and Germany. Contributors have included prominent historians whose essays intersect with scholarship on figures such as Booker T. Washington, Emma Lazarus, Dolores Huerta, and Fred Korematsu.

Category:Academic journals Category:History journals Category:Publications established in 1981