History Links and History Journals
Home » Faculties of Humanities » Departments » Department of History »Key Historical Archives:
Historical Papers, William Cullen Library, Wits University
University of Johannesburg Archives
UWC-Robben Island Mayibuye Archives
National Library of South Africa
UCT Libraries Digital Collections
Archive for Contemporary Affairs, UFS
Unisa Library Digital Collections
Historical Associations:
Southern African Historical Society
Economic History Society of Southern Africa
Historical Publications South Africa
Historical Association of South Africa
Oral History Association of South Africa
South African Society for Cultural History
African Studies Association of Africa
Journals:
South African History Journals
There are three types of journals that a researcher of South African history can use: (1) those dealing with general SA history; (2) those dedicated to specific sub-disciplines or regions of SA history, and (3) journals with broader aims, but which also publish articles dealing with SA history from time to time.
Almost all of these journals are accessible via UJ Library’s databases, but many of them also have their own websites and repositories, which are often easier to navigate and search than via the big databases. These homepages are indicated below.
** For students reading this page, titles marked with asterisks should be your starting points for any literature search.
1. General SA History Journals
South African Historical Journal **
Probably, the premier History journal in SA, it publishes issues four times a year and covers all topics, periods and areas. It also features research on the history of other southern African countries.
https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rshj20 (Full text only via UJ Library)
Historia **
The journal of the Historical Association of SA (there are other journals with this name), it used to be primarily an Afrikaans publication, but nowadays it mostly publishes in English. It also features articles on other southern African countries.
http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_issues&pid=0018-229X&lng=en&nrm=iso (recent) and https://hgsa.co.za/historia-archive/ (older)
African Historical Review
Formerly known as Kleio, this journal used to be published by Unisa. Recently it has begun to feature research on the history of other African countries, but it is still overwhelmingly SA-focused.
https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rahr20 (Full text only via UJ Library)
New Contree
Formerly known only as Contree, this journal started out as one dedicated to local or rural history. Nowadays it publishes a range of articles dealing with the history of SA and neighbouring countries.
https://newcontreejournal.co.za/new-contree-journal-archive/
2. Specialized SA History Journals
South African Journal of Cultural History
This journal publishes articles that fall under the old-fashioned rubric of ‘cultural history’ (including studies of material culture, historical archaeology, heritage, public history etc.).
https://journals.co.za/journal/culture (Full text only via UJ Library)
Kronos: Southern African Histories
Previously sub-titled ‘Journal of Cape History’, it was until about a decade ago chiefly dedicated to the history of the old Cape colony. Now it publishes a range of articles on the history of SA and neighbouring countries. It often features articles on issues of heritage, public history and visual history.
http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_issues&pid=0259-0190&lng=en&nrm=iso
Journal of KwaZulu-Natal History
As its name suggests, this journal focuses on the history of southeast Africa, chiefly what is now known as KZN and Mozambique, from prehistorical times until now.
https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rnzh20 (Full text only via UJ Library)
Economic History of Developing Regions
Previously known as the South African Journal of Economic History, this journal now also features articles about the economic history of other developing regions (Africa, Asia and Latin America).
http://www.ehssa.org.za/index.php/economic-history-of-developing-regions/
(Full text only via UJ Library)
Southern Journal for Contemporary History
This journal until recently did not have the word ‘Southern’ in its title. Its aim is to publish research on the recent history of southern Africa (chiefly SA), i.e. the period after the Second World War. Its focus is very much political history.
https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/jch/index
Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies
Published by the Military Academy at Stellenbosch University, this journal often features research on South African military history.
https://scientiamilitaria.journals.ac.za/pub
Oral History Journal of South Africa
Published by the Oral History Association of South Africa, this journal publishes research based on oral history in SA.
https://upjournals.co.za/index.php/OHJSA/index
Yesterday & Today
A specialist journal featuring research about History Education, aimed at teachers and lecturers of History as a discipline.
http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_issues&pid=2223-0386&lng=en&nrm=iso
South African Journal of Art History
Although largely featuring research about art, this journal does sometimes feature more general history articles, especially those that involve some aspect of aesthetics.
https://sajah.co.za/?page_id=33
3. Journals occasionally publishing SA History articles
Journal of Southern African Studies **
This is a so-called ‘area studies’ journal that covers all of southern Africa. As such, it is not chiefly historical (it includes economic, anthropological, sociological and literary studies as well), SA historians do regularly publish in it (it appears 6 times a year!) and as such it is a major resource for any historical research on the region.
https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/cjss20 (Full text only via UJ Library)
Journal of African History **
The premier journal covering the history of Africa in the English-speaking world. It publishes work on the history of all African countries, including southern Africa.
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-african-history/all-issues (Full text only via UJ Library)
International Journal of African Historical Studies
A US-based journal on the history of Africa, which occasionally features articles on southern Africa (but not as much as the JAH above).
https://www.bu.edu/africa/publications/ijahs/ (Full text only via UJ Library)
African Studies
This is an ‘African Studies’ journal published by the University of the Witwatersrand. It publishes a range of articles on Africa, but given its close association with Wits, much of the work featured in it is historical. Given that this journal has been publishing since 1921, the work featured in its early decades can actually be used as primary sources for views and discourses on Africans.
https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/cast20 (Full text only via UJ Library)
Social Dynamics: A Journal of African Studies
This is the journal of the Centre for African Studies at UCT and as such publishes a range of articles, much of it historical and relating to South Africa.
https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rsdy20 (Full text only via UJ Library)
Safundi: The Journal of South African and American Studies
This journal was founded to feature comparative work dealing with the US and SA, much of it historical. More recently, it has become more literary in its focus.
https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rsaf20 (Full text only via UJ Library)
Missionalia: Southern African Journal of Missiology
This journal deals with scholarship surrounding mission work, including occasionally articles on mission history in southern Africa.
https://missionalia.journals.ac.za/pub (Full text only via UJ Library)
Agenda: Empowering Women for Gender Equity
A feminist journal that is aimed at a wider audience than most academic journals, it sometimes features historical work. More recently, a new gender-studies journal is published by Unisa, called Gender Questions, which hopefully will also feature historical work using gender theory.
http://www.agenda.org.za/ (Full text only via UJ Library) &
https://upjournals.co.za/index.php/GQ/issue/archive (Full text only via UJ Library)