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Our Mission

Founded in 1994, Berghahn Books is an independent publisher of distinguished scholarly books and journals in the humanities and social sciences. Our program, which includes close to 40 journals and over 120 new titles a year, spans History, Social & Cultural Anthropology, Archaeology, Mobility Studies, Environmental Studies, and Film Studies. Our backlist has over 2,000 book titles and nearly 8,000 journal articles.

A family firm, the press is run by our founder Marion Berghahn in partnership with her daughter, Vivian, and her eldest son, Sascha. They are joined by over 20 staff across offices in Oxford and Brooklyn and together they channel a fiercely independent spirit in advancing the company's progressive mission.

As current – as well as historical – events remind us, the values of scholarly learning are vital for understanding the human condition and for promoting the ideals of equality and tolerance in both theory and application. To this end, the books we publish reflect a deep commitment to interdisciplinary scholarship that is concerned with the underlying social fabrics that span our diverse cultures.

With offices in New York and Oxford, Berghahn Books maintains close links to the academic communities of Europe, North America, and Asia, pursuing a mission to advance high- quality research across national and disciplinary boundaries. The press applies a rigorous peer-review process in order to assure high academic standards and is committed to supporting up-and-coming scholars alongside prominent figureheads. Our book list ranges from specialized monographs to carefully edited volumes, while also supporting a select number of titles of interest to a wider readership. Our journals program combines traditional open and thematic issues with a range of nuanced sections that disseminate innovative research echoing our principles of international scholarly collaboration.

In 2016, Berghahn Books was shortlisted for two prestigious publishing industry awards – by the British Book Industry Award in the Independent Academic, Educational and Professional Publisher of the Year category and by the Independent Publishers' Guild for the Frankfurt Book Fair Academic & Professional Publisher of the Year Award. The press is also a regular recipient of the Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year award in addition to numerous book awards from respected associations across its list. Our journals list has also been honored, notably as the recipient – an unprecedented two years in a row – for the Professional and Scholarly Excellence (PROSE) award for Best New Journal in the Social Sciences & Humanities by the Professional and Scholarly Publishing Division of the Association of American Publishers.


About the founder:

Marion Berghahn, D Phil, PhD, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief for Books

Member of New York Academy of Science

Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute

Born and raised in Hamburg, Germany, Marion studied at the universities of Hamburg, Paris, and Freiburg where she received a DPhil in American Studies, Romance Languages and Philosophy. In 1969, she moved to England where she received an MPhil in Social Anthropology from the University of Cambridge, followed by a PhD in Sociology from the University of Warwick. These subjects, together with history, later on formed the basis of her scholarly publishing program. In 1980, she started her first company, Berg Publishers, but was forced out in 1993 and subsequently started her new company, Berghahn Books, in 1994. In 1988, she moved to the US but retained an office and home in Oxford, and has been commuting across the Atlantic ever since.


The next generation:

Vivian Berghahn, Managing Director and Journals Editorial Director

Vivian's responsibilities within the company include advancing the company's online initiatives and the strategic development of its overall publishing program. With over 20 years of experience in academic publishing, she previously worked for Blackwell Publishing and Northeastern University Press and currently serves on the AAP-PSP Committee and as co-opted member of the ALPSP Council. She graduated magna cum laude from the Social Thought and Political Economy Program at UMASS Amherst with a double major in German and is currently completing her PhD in Anthropology from the Graduate Center, City University of New York.

Sascha Berghahn, Information Technology Director

Sascha's long-standing role in the firm goes back to customer service and sales on the pre-internet front lines at Berg Publishers. After University, he embarked on a career in web development, as the Berghahn Books webmaster, and also as a consultant in New York City for nearly 15 years in the media and financial industries. Since 2013, he has focused his attention on the growing web and information needs at Berghahn Books, including the various public-facing sites, as well as publication data management and business processes.


Advisory Board:

Mitchell Allen

Mitchell is President of Scholarly Roadside Service, a publishing consulting service for scholars, scholarly organizations, and academic publishers. Previously, he was founder and publisher of two independent scholarly presses specializing in social science and humanities, AltaMira Press (1995-2005) and Left Coast Press (2005-2016). His publishing career began with 20 years at Sage Publications, first in marketing, then acquisitions. He is responsible for publishing almost 1500 books and launching over 25 journals. Mitch has a Ph.D. in archaeology from UCLA, publishes regularly in that field, and taught undergraduates at five universities. He is author of the book Essentials of Publishing Qualitative Research and regularly teaches publishing workshops to scholars and graduate students. Allen is recipient of career achievement awards from four academic societies.

Richard Fisher

Richard read history at Balliol College, Oxford and has worked in the academic publishing sector for the past thirty-five years. Formerly Managing Director of Academic Publishing at Cambridge University Press, he is currently Vice-Chair of Yale University Press and a non-executive director of Edinburgh University Press. He is an Associate Editor of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, responsible for sportsmen and sportswomen, and serves as the Academic and Policy Correspondent of the Independent Publishers Guild: he has also served on numerous sub-committees of the British Academy, the AHRC and HEFCE concerned with scholarly communication. He is currently serving a second term as Vice-President of the Royal Historical Society and Chair of its Publications Committee.

Oliver Gadsby

Oliver is currently President of the Academic and Professional Division of Rowman & Littlefield and President and CEO of Rowman & Littlefield International, which he co-founded in 2012. He started his career as an editor in Germany and later spent three years working in Sweden. He was CEO of the educational publisher Nelson Thornes, and went on to be Director of Strategy and Acquisitions for Informa plc, the parent group of Taylor & Francis. Oliver was CEO of Continuum from 2007, leading it to become IPG Independent Publisher of the Year in 2011. Oliver is a former Chair of the Independent Publishers’ Guild, and sits on the board of the Academic and Professional Division of the Publishers' Association.


Who's Who at Berghahn:

You can find our staff directory here.