# H-Net

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**H-Net** ("Humanities & Social Sciences Online") is an interdisciplinary forum for scholars in the [humanities](/source/Humanities) and [social sciences](/source/Social_sciences). One of its functions is to host [electronic mailing lists](/source/Electronic_mailing_list) organized by [academic disciplines](/source/Academic_discipline). In 2007, H-Net lists reached 180,000 subscribers from over 160 countries,[1] and in 2025 its website stated there were 230,000 subscribers from over 200 countries.[2][3]

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.[4] The Department of History at Michigan State University hosts H-Net.[5]

## Online services

In addition to its email lists, H-Net provides three related online services:

- **H-Net Reviews** is resource for coordinating book reviews and website reviews from participating lists, preserving them in searchable annual volumes.[6] There are 46,000+ reviews of books and other publications, commissioned and published on its website and through its [listservs](/source/Listserv).[7]
- **H-Net Job Guide**: academic position announcements, available on its website and through email[8]: 210[9]
- **H-Net Academic Announcements**: announcements of academic conferences, calls for papers, and programs[10]

## 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.[4]

## 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](/source/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."[11] H-net started moving operations to Michigan State in 1994.[12] 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.[citation needed]

In 2023, the H-Net president was Lorna L. Zukas, Professor of Sociology and Global Studies at [National University (California)](/source/National_University_(California)).[citation needed]

In 2023, the network saw a graphical and functional re-design coined *H-Net 3.0*, which was launched on 5th July.[13]

In 2024, the H-Net president was Evan Rothera, Assistant Professor History, Social Sciences, and Philosophy at the [University of Arkansas-Fort Smith](/source/University_of_Arkansas%E2%80%93Fort_Smith).[citation needed]

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](/source/Hprints) - an [open access](/source/Open_access) repository for Nordic academic research in the arts and humanities[relevance?]

## References

1. Gilmore, Matthew (May 2007). ["H-Net: Digital Discussion for Historians"](http://www.historians.org/Perspectives/issues/2007/0705/0705tec5.cfm). *Perspectives: The Newsletter of the American Historical Association*. Vol. 45, no. 5. [American Historical Association](/source/American_Historical_Association). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20070831142434/http://www.historians.org/Perspectives/issues/2007/0705/0705tec5.cfm) August 31, 2007 at the Wayback Machine.

1. ["H-Net"](https://networks.h-net.org/h-net). *networks.h-net.org*. Retrieved December 12, 2025.

1. Jeremy D. Popkin, *From Herodotus to H-Net: The Story of Historiography* (Oxford University Press, 2016). ISBN 978-0-199-92300

1. Steven A. Leibo, ["H-Net and the Internationalization of Scholarship,"](http://www.historians.org/perspectives/issues/1995/9505/9505NOT1.cfm) *Perspectives: The Newsletter of the American Historical Association*, 33: 5 (May–June 1995).

1. ["The Department of History and Humanities Technology"](https://web.archive.org/web/20121018153500/http://history.msu.edu/humanities-technology/). [Michigan State University](/source/Michigan_State_University). Archived from [the original](http://history.msu.edu/humanities-technology/) on 2012-10-18. Retrieved 2012-10-20. Michigan State is also the home of H-Net, an international academic organization that offers over a hundred email discussion lists along with the leading online repositories for book reviews, job postings, and academic announcements

1. McClymer, John (2005). ["The AHA Guide to Teaching and Learning with New Media"](http://www.historians.org/pubs/Free/mcclymer/ch9.cfm). Washington: [The American Historical Association](/source/The_American_Historical_Association). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20060330030906/http://www.historians.org/pubs/Free/mcclymer/ch9.cfm) March 30, 2006 at the Wayback Machine.

1. ["H-Net Reviews"](http://www.h-net.org/reviews/home.php). H-net.org. Retrieved 2018-12-13.

1. Popkin, Jeremy D. (2016). [*From Herodotus to H-Net: The Story of Historiography*](https://archive.org/details/fromherodotustoh0000popk/mode/2up). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-199-92300-7.

1. ["H-Net Job Guide"](https://www.h-net.org/jobs/home.php). H-net.org. Retrieved 2012-10-20.

1. ["H-Net Academic Announcements"](http://www.h-net.org/announce/). H-net.org. Retrieved 2018-12-13.

1. Richard Jensen, "H-Net announces 13 new scholarly lists in history," [E-Mail of 24 Jun 1993](http://lists.village.virginia.edu/lists_archive/Humanist/v07/0073.html); Thomas Zielke, "Official Introduction of The History Network " [E-Mail on GRMNHIST - German History Forum, 23 Feb 93](http://www.uni-heidelberg.de/subject/hd/fak7/hist/c1/de/gen/gen/grmnhist/log.started930201/mail-20.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20070107015905/http://www.uni-heidelberg.de/subject/hd/fak7/hist/c1/de/gen/gen/grmnhist/log.started930201/mail-20.html) 2007-01-07 at the Wayback Machine

1. ["H-Net: It's Past, Present, and Future"](https://www.h-net.org/about/press/oah/peter.html). *www.h-net.org*. Retrieved 2024-05-02.

1. Christine Peffer (2023-06-28). ["New Website Launch July 5th, 2023"](https://networks.h-net.org/node/513/discussions/12887169/new-website-launch-july-5th-2023). *www.H-Net.org*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20230630120107/https://networks.h-net.org/node/513/discussions/12887169/new-website-launch-july-5th-2023) 2023-06-30 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 July 2025.

## Further reading

- Irish, Sharon, and Wendy Plotkin. "History, People, and Informatics: A Conversation between Sharon Irish and Wendy Plotkin." *Digital Humanities Quarterly* 4.2 (2010); Plotkin was a cofounder of H-Net and [H-Urban](/source/H-Urban). [online](https://www.proquest.com/docview/2555208619?pq-origsite=gscholar&fromopenview=true&sourcetype=Scholarly%20Journals)

- [Jensen, Richard J.](/source/Richard_J._Jensen) ["Internet's Republic of Letters: H-Net for Scholars"](https://web.archive.org/web/20000903084512/http://members.aol.com/dann01/whatis.html), (1997). A discussion of H-Net and its origins from the perspective of the founder. Published at members.aol.com.
- Kornbluh, Mark Lawrence , ["H-Net: Humanities and Social Sciences OnLine,"](http://www.historians.org/perspectives/issues/1999/9902/9902AFF.CFM?pv=y) *Perspectives: The Newsletter of the American Historical Association*, 37: 2 (February 1999).
- Kitchens, Joel D. ["Clio on the Web: An Annotated Bibliography of Select E-Journals for History,"](http://www.historians.org/perspectives/issues/2000/0002/0002not1.cfm) *Perspectives: The Newsletter of the American Historical Association*, 38: 2 (Feb. 2000).
- McMichael, Andrew. ["The Historian, the Internet, and the Web: A Reassessment,"](http://www.historians.org/perspectives/issues/1998/9802/9802VIE2.CFM) *Perspectives: The Newsletter of the American Historical Association*, 36: 2 (Feb. 1998).

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [H-Net](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H-Net) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H-Net?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.