__NOTOC__
H-Net ("Humanities & Social Sciences Online") is an interdisciplinary forum for scholars in the
humanities
Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture, including Philosophy, certain fundamental questions asked by humans. During the Renaissance, the term "humanities" referred to the study of classical literature a ...
and
social sciences
Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of society, societies and the Social relation, relationships among members within those societies. The term was former ...
. It is best known for hosting
electronic mailing list
A mailing list is a collection of names and addresses used by an individual or an organization to send material to multiple recipients.
Mailing lists are often rented or sold. If rented, the renter agrees to use the mailing list only at contra ...
s organized by
academic discipline
An academic discipline or academic field is a subdivision of knowledge that is taught and researched at the college or university level. Disciplines are defined (in part) and recognized by the academic journals in which research is published, a ...
s; according to the organization's website, H-Net lists reached over 200,000 subscribers
[Se]
"What's Happening at H-Net?" H-Net (2018)
/ref> in more than 90 countries.
The H-Net Network has grown until it is now endorsed by many academic professional organizations. Its over 180 topic- or discipline-specific lists are often the primary internet forum for scholars. Individual lists are edited by a team of scholars and each has a board of editors.[Steven A. Leibo]
"H-Net and the Internationalization of Scholarship,"
''Perspectives: The Newsletter of the American Historical Association'', 33: 5 (May–June 1995). The Department of History at Michigan State University hosts H-Net.
Online services
In addition to its email lists, H-Net provides three related online services:
*H-Net Reviews: 46,000+ reviews of books and other publications, commissioned and published on its website and through its listservs
*H-Net Job Guide: academic position announcements, available on its website and through email
*H-Net Academic Announcements: announcements of academic conferences, calls for papers, and programs
Discussion networks
Many of the lists deal with various areas of historical study. Within two years of its founding, Steven A. Leibo in a newsletter post described H-Net as being "among the most dynamic and effective contributions" to the internationalization of scholarship.
History
H-Net began in 1992 as an initiative of Prof. Richard J. Jensen when he was at the History department at the University of Illinois Chicago, to assist historians "to easily communicate current research and teaching interests; to discuss new approaches, methods and tools of analysis; to share information on access to library catalogs and other electronic databases; and to test new ideas and share comments on current historiography." H-net started moving operations to Michigan State in 1994. H-Net is now organized as an international consortium of scholars in the humanities and social sciences and its networks are hosted by Michigan State University.
In 2023, the H-Net president was Lorna L. Zukas, Professor of Sociology and Global Studies at National University (California).
In 2024, the H-Net president was Evan Rothera, Assistant Professor History, Social Sciences, and Philosophy at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith.
In 2025, the H-Net President is Andrew Kettler, Assistant Professor of History and Director of Institutional and Academic Affairs at USC Union.
See also
* hprints
hprints ( pronounced in English as aitch prints) is an archive for electronic preprints of academic papers in the fields of arts and humanities. It can be accessed freely via the Internet since it is an open access repository aiming at making s ...
- an open access
Open access (OA) is a set of principles and a range of practices through which nominally copyrightable publications are delivered to readers free of access charges or other barriers. With open access strictly defined (according to the 2001 de ...
repository for Nordic academic research in the arts and humanities
Notes
References
Further reading
* Matthew Gilmore
"H-Net: Digital Discussion for Historians"
''Perspectives: The Newsletter of the American Historical Association'', 45: 5 (May 2007).
* Richard J. Jensen
(1997). A discussion of H-Net and its origins from the perspective of the founder. Published at members.aol.com.
* Mark Lawrence Kornbluh
"H-Net: Humanities and Social Sciences OnLine,"
''Perspectives: The Newsletter of the American Historical Association'', 37: 2 (February 1999).
* Joel D. Kitchens
"Clio on the Web: An Annotated Bibliography of Select E-Journals for History,"
''Perspectives: The Newsletter of the American Historical Association'', 38: 2 (Feb. 2000).
* John McClymer
''The AHA Guide to Teaching and Learning with New Media''
(Washington: The American Historical Association), 2005.
* Andrew McMichael
"The Historian, the Internet, and the Web: A Reassessment,"
''Perspectives: The Newsletter of the American Historical Association'', 36: 2 (Feb. 1998).
* Jeremy D. Popkin,
'' (Oxford UP, 2015, ).
{{refend
Tertiary educational websites
Digital humanities
Social sciences organizations
Electronic mailing lists
Internet properties established in 1992