The History under Debate Website came into being on April 29th 1999 in the course of the preparation of the Second International Conference, which was greatly an Internet-based one.

A year from that day, the Digital History under Debate can be said to have acquired an identity of its own right in accordance with the relevance of this new system of communication, which is enabling us to make a new kind of historiography due to its horizontal, fast and interactive nature.

It is a great honour and privilege for History under Debate to be at the forefront and contribute from Europe and the Latin world to the making of a new community of historians - virtual and global- which cuts across departments, specialities and countries.

The site is updated almost on a daily basis . Thus, contributions to the debates can be read here even before they are distributed among list members. In the coming months, the number of sections will be increased . Our medium-term objective is to became a portal of history endowed with our distinctive characteristics ( which makes us different from other projects, inside and outside the Net): our global and multilingual pledge, the theory and the practice of the profession, the academe and society as regards its committed relationship, the past/ present and the past/ future, the debate and the consensus as the means for advancement towards a new paradigm .

One year ago at What is History under Debate ? we said that we were, or intended to be, a network of historians, a forum of debate, a research workshop and a project of historiographic change . Taking as our foundations the Proceedings of the Second Conference History under Debate, the results of the Enquiry and the latest debates, we intend to further promote the latter, putting special emphasis on historical alternatives and new lines of historical research.

In order to accomplish all this , we count on you all, on your proven fidelity, which has been constant throughout this first year on the Net.

Let us rejoice at this first anniversary on the Net and may Clio bestow many more!


Carlos Barros
Coordinador de Historia a Debate
http://www.h-debate.com