Berghahn Books

Berghahn Books is a New York- and Oxford-based academic publishing house established in 1994 by Marion Berghahn. The company publishes scholarly books and journals, with a subject profile centered on the humanities and social sciences. Its strongest areas include social and cultural anthropology, European history, politics, and film and media studies, while its broader list serves researchers, university libraries, learned societies, instructors, and advanced students. The business operates through two closely connected publishing activities: Berghahn Books, which develops monographs, edited collections, research series, and related academic titles, and Berghahn Journals, which publishes periodicals in complementary humanities and social-science fields. The publisher's book program has been described as producing approximately 140 new titles and about 80 paperback editions annually, alongside a backlist of nearly 2,500 titles in print. New books are issued in print and online formats, and selected older titles have been digitized through the Berghahn Books Online platform. The scale and specialization of the list position the company between a highly focused scholarly press and a broad international academic publisher. Berghahn's journal program has been available online since 2001 and includes more than 40 journals according to the cited reference material. The portfolio includes titles associated with academic societies and specialized research communities. Examples include Girlhood Studies, Projections, and Social Anthropology, the journal of the European Association of Social Anthropologists. The journals program has received recognition from publishing-industry organizations: Projections won an Association of American Publishers PROSE Award for Best New Journal in the Social Sciences and Humanities in 2008, and Girlhood Studies received the same award in 2009. Girlhood Studies also received a Highly Commended Certificate in the 2010 ALPSP Best New Journal Award. Digital distribution and access models have become important parts of Berghahn's publishing strategy. The company began participating in the Subscribe to Open initiative with Annual Reviews in 2019. Under this model, participating institutions' subscriptions support the release of qualifying content as open access, allowing wider readership without relying solely on article-processing charges. Berghahn initially identified 13 anthropology journals as potential candidates, and those titles were released as open content in 2020. The publisher later announced that Social Anthropology would join its open-access anthropology set beginning with volume 30 in 2022, following an overwhelming vote by members of the European Association of Social Anthropologists to move the journal away from its previous publisher and adopt a sustainable open-access arrangement. Berghahn Books' identity is therefore based on disciplinary specialization, editorial relationships with scholars and learned societies, a durable scholarly backlist, and international delivery across print and digital channels. Its New York and Oxford presence supports activity in the principal English-language academic publishing markets while its subject portfolio gives it a distinctive position in anthropology, European studies, history, politics, and related fields. Publicly available reference material does not establish a stock-market listing, parent corporation, current executive roster, or a precise corporate ownership structure; those fields are consequently left unspecified.

Berghahn Books was founded in 1994 by Marion Berghahn as a scholarly publishing house serving the humanities and social sciences. From its New York and Oxford bases, it developed an editorial program emphasizing areas in which specialist academic publishing and sustained relationships with researchers and learned societies are particularly important. Social and cultural anthropology, European history, politics, and film and media studies became central parts of the list. The publisher expanded beyond books into journals, creating a complementary periodicals program under the Berghahn Journals name. Its journals have been distributed online since 2001, extending the reach of titles that otherwise depend heavily on specialist library subscriptions and institutional collections. The program grew to more than 40 journals in relevant humanities and social-science disciplines. Among its titles are Girlhood Studies, Projections, and Social Anthropology, as well as the annual Advances in Research series launched in 2013. Berghahn's books division has combined new scholarly publishing with maintenance of a substantial backlist. Reference material describes an annual output of approximately 140 new titles and around 80 paperback editions, with nearly 2,500 titles in print. The company publishes in both print and online formats and has undertaken selective digitization of older books through Berghahn Books Online. This approach allows a specialist press to continue serving established library and researcher demand while making portions of its catalog available through contemporary digital channels. The journal program gained external recognition during the late 2000s. Projections won the Association of American Publishers PROSE Award for Best New Journal in the Social Sciences and Humanities in 2008. Girlhood Studies won the same category in 2009 and was highly commended in the 2010 ALPSP Best New Journal Award. These distinctions underscored the publisher's role in launching and sustaining specialized journals rather than only distributing established periodicals. Open access became a more visible part of the company's strategy from 2019, when Berghahn joined Annual Reviews in using the Subscribe to Open model. The arrangement links institutional support to the release of selected journal content as open access. Berghahn identified 13 anthropology titles for possible participation, and all of those titles were released as open content in 2020. In 2021, the publisher announced that Social Anthropology, the journal of the European Association of Social Anthropologists, would join the open-access anthropology group from volume 30 in 2022. The society's members had voted overwhelmingly to leave Wiley and pursue an open-access model described as sustainable and equitable. Berghahn Books therefore developed from a founder-led specialist press into an international academic publishing brand with a significant book backlist, a substantial journal portfolio, online delivery, and experimentation with collective funding models for open access. The available reference material does not provide a complete account of later corporate developments, ownership, or management, so those aspects remain undocumented here.

1. 2022Social Anthropology enters the open-access program

   Social Anthropology begins participation in Berghahn's open-access anthropology journal set from volume 30.

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2. 2020Anthropology titles become open content

   Thirteen anthropology journals are released as open content through the Subscribe to Open initiative.

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3. 2019Subscribe to Open participation begins

   Berghahn joins Annual Reviews in using Subscribe to Open for selected journal content.

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4. 2013Advances in Research launches

   Berghahn Journals launches the annual Advances in Research series.

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5. 2009Girlhood Studies wins a PROSE Award

   Girlhood Studies receives the PROSE Award for Best New Journal in the Social Sciences and Humanities.

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6. 2008Projections wins a PROSE Award

   Projections receives the PROSE Award for Best New Journal in the Social Sciences and Humanities.

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7. 2001Journals become available online

   Berghahn's academic journals begin online availability.

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8. 1994Berghahn Books is founded

   Marion Berghahn establishes the scholarly publishing house serving humanities and social-science fields.

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A specialist international academic publisher focused on research-intensive humanities and social-science disciplines, combining scholarly books, society-linked journals, print distribution, and digital and open-access publishing models.

• Scholarly booksAcademic books1994

  The books division publishes research monographs, edited collections, academic series, and related scholarly works. Its strongest subject areas include anthropology, European history, politics, and film and media studies. The division issues new titles in print and online formats and maintains a large specialist backlist, with reference material describing approximately 2,500 titles in print.

• Berghahn JournalsAcademic journals

  Berghahn Journals publishes more than 40 periodicals in humanities and social-science disciplines that complement the book list. The portfolio includes society-linked and specialist journals such as Social Anthropology, Girlhood Studies, and Projections. Journals have been available online since 2001.

• Berghahn Books OnlineDigital academic publishing

  Berghahn Books Online provides digital access to new content and selected digitized titles from the publisher's backlist. It extends the reach of specialist books beyond physical editions and supports library and researcher access to the company's catalog.

• Advances in ResearchAnnual academic series2013

  Advances in Research is an annual series published through Berghahn Journals. It forms part of the publisher's program of specialized humanities and social-science reference and review content.

• 2021Open-access transition for Social AnthropologyStrategy

  The European Association of Social Anthropologists sought to move Social Anthropology from its existing publisher to an open-access model viewed by its members as sustainable and equitable.

  What changed. Berghahn Journals announced that Social Anthropology would join its open-access anthropology set beginning with volume 30 in 2022.

  Aftermath. The journal became part of Berghahn's open-access anthropology portfolio.

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• 2019Adoption of Subscribe to OpenStrategy

  Berghahn sought a sustainable way to make selected journal content openly available while preserving institutional support for scholarly publishing.

  What changed. The publisher joined Annual Reviews in applying the Subscribe to Open model and identified anthropology journals for participation.

  Aftermath. Thirteen anthropology titles were released as open content in 2020, expanding Berghahn's use of non-paywalled distribution.

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• 2021Social Anthropology scheduled to join Berghahn's open-access set

  Berghahn Journals announced that Social Anthropology would enter its open-access anthropology portfolio from volume 30 in 2022 after a vote by the European Association of Social Anthropologists.

  Product launch
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• 2020Anthropology journals released through Subscribe to Open

  Thirteen anthropology journals identified as candidates for the initiative were made available as open content under Berghahn's Subscribe to Open program.

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• 2019Berghahn participates in Subscribe to Open

  Berghahn Books joined Annual Reviews in applying the Subscribe to Open model to selected journal content.

  Other
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• 2010Girlhood Studies receives ALPSP commendation

  Girlhood Studies received a Highly Commended Certificate in the ALPSP Best New Journal Award.

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• 2009Girlhood Studies receives PROSE recognition

  Girlhood Studies was awarded the Association of American Publishers PROSE Award for Best New Journal in the Social Sciences and Humanities.

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• 2008Berghahn Journals receives PROSE recognition for Projections

  Projections received the Association of American Publishers PROSE Award for Best New Journal in the Social Sciences and Humanities.

  Other
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1. Berghahn Books
2. Berghahn Books official website