History of The Jamaican Historical Review

Cover of Volume 14

The Jamaican Historical Review (e-ISSN 3084-0198; p-ISSN 0799-2157) is the scholarly journal of the Jamaican Historical Society. First published in 1945, the Review produced 27 print volumes between 1945 and 2015.

In its early years, the journal published contributions mainly by members of the Society on subjects of their own interest. During the 1960s, academics from the University of the West Indies became more involved, and the Review broadened its coverage to include the history of the wider Caribbean. In the 1970s, it returned to a primary focus on Jamaica.

While some early volumes comprised multiple issues, for much of its history the journal appeared in single-issue volumes.

Editorial development

Between 1971 and 2013, the Review followed a thematic publishing model, with each volume devoted to a particular subject and contributions invited by the editors. In Volume 27 (2015), the editors announced a return to unthemed volumes. This change was intended to broaden the range of topics open to contributors and encourage the wider circulation of historical scholarship.

Editors of the journal

The journal's longest-serving editor was Carl Campbell, who edited Volumes 13–23 between 1982 and 2007. Other editors have included David Buisseret, Kathleen Monteith, and H. P. Jacobs.

A full list of the journal's editors is available from the Jamaican Historical Society. View the complete list of editors.

The online relaunch

Following a hiatus after Volume 27, the Review is returning to online publication with Volume 28 (2026), continuing the journal's longstanding contribution to the study of Jamaican history.