The Society for the History of Children and Youth is delighted to announce the inaugural edition of Digital Childhoods, a new online publication edited by Alice Sage and Hannah Stamler. When we first posted an announcement soliciting applications for the editorship of an as-yet undeveloped digital magazine, we envisioned both a companion site to the Journal of the History of Childhood and Youth, as well as a space where the SHCY could publish short articles that highlighted the relevance of children’s history to contemporary issues around the world.
Our goal here is twofold: to promote and amplify the excellent scholarship being published in the JHCY and to foster a broader interest in the history of children and youth. Our hope is that by introducing readers to that history in short, accessible pieces, we may draw them into more expansive scholarly conversations and both grow and diversify our field.
The SHCY is delighted that Alice Sage and Hannah Stamler have agreed to take on this task for us as the founding editors of Digital Childhoods. Both Alice and Hannah have extensive experience in the history of children and youth. What most impressed the SHCY Executive Board about both of them was just how diverse and varied that experience was, both in the academy and beyond. Alice, for instance, has worked as a curator at a number of museums in the UK and also serves as publisher of an independent imprint called Wide Open Sea. She earned a PhD at the University of London in 2021. Hannah received her PhD from Princeton University in January this year, and also has experience in the publishing world prior to graduate school, having worked at both Artforum and Bookforum. She publishes in both the scholarly world and in a variety of popular venues as well. Their combined experience in public humanities and the academy is sure to enrich the “pages” of Digital Childhoods.
On behalf of the Executive Board of the Society for the History of Children and Youth, I want to express my appreciation to Alice and Hannah for taking on this role together. I look forward to all they will share with us on Digital Childhoods.
Nick Syrett
President, Society for the History of Children and Youth
