The Journal of British Studies
Founded in 1961, the Journal of British Studies is the official publication of the North American Conference on British Studies. All members of NACBS automatically receive a subscription to the quarterly Journal of British Studies, which is published by Cambridge University Press. Many of its articles are now open access.
The Journal of British Studies publishes peer-reviewed scholarly articles by both established and emerging scholars from around the world that explore diverse perspectives on the past and that place the long history of Britain in a range of global contexts. The journal provides a forum for innovative approaches to the study of Britain and its empire and welcomes research that is comparative, transnational, and global in scope. The journal also publishes book reviews, highlighting new multidisciplinary work in British Studies for its international readership.
The Journal of British Studies seeks submissions for a special series of short essays to be published over the course of 2026 on the topic of “1776: Views from the British World.” These essays are intended to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and to complicate traditional narratives of this transformative event by situating it in a larger British world context. Essays should be approximately 3000-4000 words (including footnotes) and can tackle this prompt from any perspective. Interested authors should submit a short proposal of 250 words that outlines the argument of the intended essay and how it fits into the author’s larger body of scholarship. Please submit proposals to the journal’s editorial office via email: jbs@nacbs.org by January 12, 2026.
Call for Contributions
Latest Articles
Composing and Narrating Black Memories of Sexual and Reproductive Health in Jamaica and England in 1990s Birmingham
George J. Severs
September 22, 2025
Ruins of War into Memorials of Reconciliation: Coventry Cathedral and the Dresden Frauenkirche, 1940–2010
Stefan Goebel
May 21, 2025
Capturing the World: Exhibition Trophies, Ethnography, and Displays of Imperial Power
Amy Woodson-Boulton
August 4, 2025
“A Bold Experiment in the Technique of Administration”: Nutrition Science and Development in the Gambia, 1946–50
Arnaud Page
July 16, 2025
“Paper Oathes”: Trust, Treaty, and the Road to Regicide in England, 1642–49
William White
April 10, 2025
JBS Series
One British Archive
This series explores little-known archives of interest to scholars of British Studies. Essays might feature a rare archive, describe a repository not usually understood as an archive for scholars of British Studies, or highlight a set of sources not often considered an archive at all. Authors present the creative ways in which sources are being used, archived, and interpreted by diverse scholars in the twenty-first century. We hope that this series will significantly expand what counts as “British” and what counts as an “archive” at a moment when the field should be adapting and expanding.
The Latest
Debating the Field
In this series, the JBS highlights critical debates in the field. These essays are intended to serve as gateways to ongoing and urgent conversations within the discipline and to foreground the relevance of British Studies scholarship to pressing global concerns.
The Latest
Unfinished Business
In this series, the journal’s editors invite scholars to revisit their earlier work in light of new scholarship and from a fresh perspective. The exercise reminds us that history writing is a process that, because it serves the needs of the present, can never be complete. We are always rethinking, revising, reassessing what we think we can know about the past and what these attempts to understand and to make meaning tell us about our current predicament. Our profession values the ongoing conversation and debate that constitutes scholarship. We all have unfinished business to work through. We thank the scholars in this series for being brave enough to do this publicly.
The Latest
Featured
This article comes with a soundtrack! In “Past! Future! In Extreme!: Looking for Meaning in the “New Romanics,” 1978-1982,” Matthew Worley offers a “more complex analysis of new romanticism rooted in nascent readings of postmodernism.” Check out the songs mentioned in the article on Spotify or YouTube!
Listen to the Spotify playlist here!
Watch the YouTube playlist here!
From the Vault
Featured articles from past issues
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Florence Nightingale and J.S. Mill Debate Women's Rights
Evelyn L. Pugh (1982)
Published in 1982, this article examines the private debate on women’s rights that took place in correspondence between Florence Nightingale and J.S. Mill.
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Emily Davies and the Women's Movement, 1862-1867
Andrew Rosen (1979)
This piece, originally published in 1979, explores Emily Davies’ central role in founding and leading the first women’s suffrage society and her ultimate break from involvement in the suffrage movement.
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Editorial Team
Tammy Proctor
Editor, Journal of British Studies
Utah State University
Carol Herringer
Book Review Editor, Journal of British Studies
Georgia Southern University
Nadja Durbach
Editor, Journal of British Studies
University of Utah
Kenneth Shonk
Book Review Editor, Journal of British Studies
University of Wisconsin - La Crosse
Chelsea Reutcke
Assistant Editor, Journal of British Studies
Susannah Ottaway
Book Review Editor, Journal of British Studies
Carleton
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