A new publication on campus aims to allow undergraduates to publish articles with a historical focus. Founded by second-year Pranav Jain, the journal, still unnamed, plans to publish its first issue in the spring.

Jain explained that he was inspired to create a history journal after reading a copy of Columbia’s Journal of Politics and Society.

“Of the five essays,” he said, “two were written by UChicago students and they were amazing. I was frustrated by the fact that despite the great social sciences tradition at the University, we don’t have a similar journal.”

The journal intends to publish original research in the fields of history, politics, and literature. Papers written for seminars and colloquiums would be given priority, but high quality papers written for classes would be considered as well.

The journal hopes to provide a more academic forum than similar publications like The Midway Review.  While papers related to sociology, literature, politics, and anthropology are encouraged, contributions must have a substantial historical focus in order to be considered for publication. The journal will also publish student-authored book reviews, faculty interviews, and occasional student travel narratives.

Peer institutions like Yale and Columbia support similar publications. Jain believes that the Yale Undergraduate Historical Review lacks focus, while Columbia’s Journal of Politics and Society is too specialized. He hopes that his publication will strike a balance between the two. Each issue will be centered around a specific theme, such as the Jacksonian Era or an inter-disciplinary analysis of history and politics.

Jain is on the hunt for talented students to join his editorial board. He is currently interviewing candidates for the position of co-editor-in-chief and hopes to invite 10–15 editors to join the board.