Peer review, i.e. the institutionalized evaluation of scholars and their outputs by others working in the same field, is fundamental to knowledge production and research evaluation in the present-day humanities. However, the origins and development of humanities peer review remain remarkably poorly understood, particularly in comparison to the history of peer review in the natural…

Johan Östling and David Larsson Heidenblad have published a new book, The History of Knowledge (Cambridge University Press). The book provides a pedagogical overview of the history of knowledge, including its main currents, distinguishing ideas, and key concepts. However, it is not primarily a state-of-the-art overview but rather an argumentative contribution that seeks to push the field…

Education has a long history of being closely affiliated with authorities. Political and economic elites have taken a particular interest in education as the venue where mindsets and worldviews were formed. Throughout history, different stakeholders have emerged, and power structures have shifted. Some of the key agents in these processes have been the church and…