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This editorial reflects on the value of diversity and community in the field of global history, focusing on interactions across different regions.

May 31, 2026Open Access

The Strengths of Diversity and Community in Global History

Key Points

This editorial reflects on the value of diversity and community in the field of global history, focusing on interactions across different regions.
Reviewed the last five volumes of Itinerario journal to assess thematic trends and geographical representation.
Analyzed the diversity of articles concerning various historical events and processes globally.
Considered positionality of authors in relation to their geographical and institutional backgrounds.
The journal articles show a slight emphasis on Asian topics, followed closely by Africa and Latin America.
Interactions across geographical spheres are a key focus, addressing themes from early modern slavery to colonial tourism.
The diversity of perspectives indicates the maturation of global history as a field of study.

Abstract

Writing a valedictory editorial is a bittersweet process.Looking back at the last eight years during which I have been involved with Itinerario, I will miss the daily contacts with the rest of the editorial team, the authors and reviewers -as well as the wealth of research that has crossed my desk, written by authors from all over the globe, concerning events, processes and ideas also from all over the globe, and above all in subfields that I do not always have time to explore.However, knowing that the journal is in the excellent hands of Catia Antunes and Isaac Scarborough allows me to look back and to engage with the articles again, without having to look for a reviewer or having to correct a footnote, but instead able to enjoy them and in the process consider larger trends.The Airocean world map that is Itinerario's new front cover reflects the journal's emphasis on interaction, while attending to all geographical spheres on equal terms.This is borne out through an investigation into the last 5 volumes of the journal.On the one hand, while we see a slight emphasis on articles based in Asia, those with a geographical focus on Africa and Latin America follow closely behind.On the other hand, what stands out most in the articles and special issues, as the subtitle of the journal befits, are the interactions that occur across geographical spheres, from early modern slavery to colonial tourism and everything in between. 1 The themes of these recent special issues led me to reflect further on the topics and (sub)fields that Itinerario articles have addressed.As is the case for other globally-oriented history journals, the diversity is what is most striking and which shows how the field of global history has come to maturity. 2What unites the articles published by Itinerario in recent years are the imperial and global interactions they examine, from the early modern period to today, bringing different scales of mobilisation and of analysis into conversation.The authors do so from many perspectives.One way of thinking about these different perspectives is through positionality.Where authors were born, raised or educated is obviously not something we record, but institutional affiliation is part of the metadata that we

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