The Public Historian

The Public Historian is the official publication of the National Council on Public History and considered the flagship journal of the field of Public History. It is a quarterly academic journal published by University of California Press, with the journal's editorial offices housed in the History Department, University of California, Santa Barbara. First published in 1978, The Public Historian emphasizes original research in Public History and related fields (such as Public Archaeology), fresh conceptualizations of the field and its practice, new viewpoints in the ways audiences connect the past to the present. The journal aims to provide a comprehensive look at the field, with each successive issue as a snapshot of the ways in which it is evolving. It provides both practicing professionals and teaching and research academics with the results of research and case studies that address the broad substantive and theoretical issues inherent in the field through a variety of article types, including research articles, essays, reports from the field, and roundtable discussions. The ISSN is 0272–3433.

Since its inception, the journal's direction and content has changed as the field has evolved, emerging from the shadow of academic history. Initially focused on institutional, "history outside of the classroom" articles and reviews, the journal today reflects the dynamism in public history practice, with a turn towards audience engagement and the methods -- such as storytelling in digital media -- that inform modern public history. The current editorial team reflects that approach, led by Editor-in-Chief Sarah Case (Continuing Lecturer, UC Santa Barbara; PhD, UC Santa Barbara), with Book Review Editor Jennifer Dickey (Associate Professor, Kennesaw State University; PhD, Georgia State University), Museums and Exhibitions Editor Jennifer Scott (Executive Director and Chief Curator, Urban Civil Rights Museum), and Film and Digital Media Editor Taylor Stoermer (Lecturer, Johns Hopkins University; PhD, University of Virginia).