The Editorial Board of H-France invites applications and nominations for the position of H-France Editor-in-Chief. As H-France is the largest scholarly organization for Francophone history and culture outside of France, its Editor-in-Chief is in a unique position to build and deepen relationships among scholars and scholarly organizations across the globe, to speak on issues of professional concern to scholars of France, to promote and extend the rich tradition of scholarship about France and the Francophone world, and to help shape future scholarship, including emerging digital technologies, amidst the intellectual and political challenges of the 21st century.
The Editor-in-Chief is a volunteer position. H-France is a non-profit organization. Its services are available free-of-charge to its subscribers, and its work is carried out by teams of volunteer editors. The H-France budget, drawn from voluntary donations, covers the expenses the Editor-in-Chief incurs in this work.
Qualifications: The applicant should be an established scholar in French history, literary studies, or art history and be committed to open access publishing and to transcultural and transdisciplinary scholarship and collaboration. Strong interpersonal skills are essential. Exceptional organization skills and the ability to address and seek resolution to complex and multifaceted issues that affect interested parties and stakeholders are crucial. Technical knowledge of digital applications is not necessary; far more important is a creative sense of how digital technologies may be used to benefit scholarship and an ability to recruit a team of editors to pursue those ends.
H-France looks to select a new Editor-in-Chief by the beginning of 2020 so that they can shadow the outgoing Editor-in-Chief for a year prior to assuming the position in March 2021.
H-France encourages interest from all qualified individuals and will give full consideration to applicants without regard to national origin, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability status.
The Search Committee consists of six longtime editors and officers of H-France: Carolyn Lougee, Stanford University; Rachel Chrastil, Xavier University; Greg Monahan, Eastern Oregon University; J.B. Shank, University of Minnesota; Noah Shusterman, Chinese University of Hong Kong; Lynne Taylor, University of Waterloo.
For further details, see the job description below. The Editorial Board welcomes the nomination, including self-nomination, of individuals for the position of Editor-in-Chief. For further information about the position or to submit a nomination or application, please contact the Chair of the Search Committee: Carolyn Chappell Lougee, Department of History, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-2024 USA. lougee@stanford.edu
H-France Editor-in-Chief
Job Description
H-France is an internet-based organization that promotes scholarly work and discussion on the history and culture of the Francophone world. H-France’s operations, all staffed by teams of volunteer editors, include:
- H-France Review, which produces substantial reviews of newly published books;
- H-France Forum, which engages reviewers and authors in discussion of significant new books;
- H-France Salon, which discusses issues of interpretive, theoretical, and professional concern in the field;
- French History and Civilization: Papers from the George Rudé Seminar, which is published by The George Rudé Society in collaboration with H-France;
- Fiction and Film for Scholars of France (formerly Fiction and Film for French Historians), which offers reviews of both current and classic films and novels set in France’s past;
- The H-France discussion list, which disseminates daily email messages with information on conferences, inquiries from scholars seeking assistance to research questions, discussions of historical topics and issues, advice on the use of archives and libraries in France, and book reviews;
- The H-France website (http://www.h-france.net), which serves as an open access site to all of H-France’s publications.
The Editor-in-Chief of H-France works under the authority of the H-France Editorial Board to:
- oversee and support all H-France programs and their staffs;
- coordinate the work of H-France’s officers and the editorial functions they direct;
- ensure smooth working relationships among the large numbers of editors and volunteers;
- recruit and direct a large editorial staff (some 95 editors) that produces the H-France journals and maintains its discussion list and website;
- develop new initiatives in fulfillment of H-France’s mission;
- serve as the official representative of H-France, able to speak and act on its behalf and to provide leadership among scholars of the Francophone world on issues relevant to their continuing work;
- identify problems as they emerge in editorial operations and develop solutions;
- direct the discussions of the Editorial Board with regard to the policies, plans, and operations of H-France;
- recruit new Editorial Board members who represent the diversity of H-France’s membership;
- direct fundraising efforts and establish H-France’s budget priorities, providing oversight of revenues and expenses in collaboration with the Financial Officer;
- prepare H-France’s Annual Report, in collaboration with the H-France officers, to identify accomplishments during the previous year and plan for the upcoming year;
- work with Chief Editors to resolve issues related to individual reviews, forums, and other published material;
- maintain communication with H-France’s scholarly partners: the Society for French Historical Studies, George Rudé Society, and Western Society for French History.