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| Revue Belge d'Histoire Contemporaine | |
|---|---|
| Title | Revue Belge d'Histoire Contemporaine |
| Discipline | History |
| Language | French |
| Country | Belgium |
| Frequency | Quarterly |
| History | 1920s–present |
Revue Belge d'Histoire Contemporaine is a Belgian scholarly journal dedicated to twentieth- and twenty-first-century Belgiumian and international historical studies. The journal publishes peer-reviewed research on topics ranging from diplomatic relations between Belgium and France to social transformations linked to the First World War, Second World War, and decolonisation of the Belgian Congo. It serves as a forum connecting specialists associated with institutions such as the Université libre de Bruxelles, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, and the Royal Museum for Central Africa.
Founded in the interwar period with ties to academic circles in Brussels and Leuven, the journal evolved through political and intellectual currents marked by figures like Henri Pirenne and institutions such as the Belgian Academy. During the post‑1945 reconstruction era debates engaging authors influenced by the historiographical traditions of Marc Bloch, Lucien Febvre, and the Annales School shaped its methodology. The journal navigated Cold War contexts involving topics adjacent to the Marshall Plan, the NATO alliance, and Belgian participation in European integration projects culminating in the Treaty of Rome. From the 1960s onward it addressed decolonisation controversies surrounding leaders like Patrice Lumumba and events such as the Congo Crisis.
The journal emphasizes archival-based studies on political figures including Leopold II of Belgium, Charles de Broqueville, and Paul-Henri Spaak; military episodes such as the Battle of Belgium and the Western Front (World War I); and diplomatic episodes involving Germany and United Kingdom relations. It publishes work on cultural and social histories intersecting with actors like Emile Verhaeren and institutions like the Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968), as well as explorations of colonial administration tied to the Belgian Congo and metropolitan responses to postcolonial migration from Morocco and Turkey. Comparative studies situate Belgium within European processes including the European Coal and Steel Community, the Schengen Agreement, and the development of the Benelux.
Appearing on a quarterly schedule, the journal issues thematic dossiers and book review sections engaging recent monographs from publishers associated with the Presses universitaires de France, Cambridge University Press, and Oxford University Press. Typical contents range from long-form research articles and archival notes referencing collections at the State Archives (Belgium) and the Royal Library of Belgium to historiographical essays responding to debates initiated by scholars working on topics like the Holocaust in Belgium and the Rwandan genocide in comparative perspective. Special issues have been produced in partnership with conferences held at venues such as the Palais des Académies and the Royal Historical Commission.
The editorial board historically included professors affiliated with Université catholique de Louvain, Ghent University, and the Free University of Brussels (1834–1969). Contributors over time encompass specialists on figures such as Ernest Renan, Paul-Henri Spaak, and Adolphe Max and historians who have worked on episodes like the Spanish Civil War, the Suez Crisis, and the Cold War in Western Europe. The journal frequently publishes work by archival historians from institutions including the Belgian State Archives, curators from the Museums of the Far East (Belgium), and fellows associated with research centers like the European University Institute.
The journal is abstracted in European and international bibliographic services used by scholars studying the First World War, Second World War, and European integration, and it appears in databases utilized by researchers at the International Institute of Social History and libraries such as the Bibliothèque royale de Belgique. Its indexing enables discoverability alongside periodicals that cover comparative studies involving the United States, Russia, and China in twentieth-century diplomatic history, aligning it with citation practices common to journals listed in continental and Anglo‑American catalogues.
Within Belgian historiography the journal is cited in debates on national memory concerning monuments to figures like Leopold II of Belgium and controversies about commemoration following events such as the Brussels Bombings (2016). Internationally, articles have informed scholarship on the European Union enlargement, comparative colonial legacies involving France and Portugal, and transnational labour movements analyzed alongside the International Labour Organization. Reception among historians has ranged from praise for archival rigor akin to work by Fernand Braudel to critique when engaging political controversies linked to the Congo Free State.
Noteworthy contributions have included dossiers on the centenary of the Battle of the Somme, archival reassessments of the Congo Free State, comparative pieces on decolonization across Belgium, France, and Britain, and thematic issues addressing migration flows involving Morocco and Algeria. Special issues have tied into symposia on the Annales School, the legacy of Henri Pirenne, and comparative urban histories examining Brussels, Antwerp, and Liège.
Category:Academic journals Category:History journals