The annual meeting of the American Historical Association is reported, including the "history in crisis" vs "history being revitalized" debate. In the 1960s, a younger generation of scholars pioneered the "new social history"; in the 1980s, political divisions have contributed to the debate. (MLW)

The field of historical geography, concerning the role of place in history, is isolated from both parent fields, especially in the United States and Canada, but is increasingly losing touch with geography, which until recently was losing ground in higher education. (MSE)

At the annual meeting of the American Studies Association, scholars deplored the lack of attention paid to the history and culture of ethnic and minority groups. Scholars have recently expanded their understanding of "American" to include Canada, Central and South America. (MLW)

Historians have extended the study of religion into the 20th century, and in social sciences many scholars are reassessing their theories about the secularization of American society. Recent trends in scholarship have also facilitated the rediscovery of the Bible and other religious texts. (MLW)

The emerging field of book history focuses on the context in which printed materials are produced and received. Book history scholars are crossing disciplines and national boundaries to establish a new scholarship and pedagogy about the culture of books. Study of the history of reading is a central interest. (MSE)

Literary "discourse theories," increasingly applied to history and society in recent years, are losing favor among conservative and liberal scholars as focusing too narrowly on the role of language. These poststructuralist theories hold that language and knowledge are slippery, that words and cultural texts rarely mean what they appear…

The history of reading is a fast growing and controversial area of the emerging field of book history. Methods for researching the evolution and patterns of literacy and of reading habits are not yet established, and knowledge of information sources is still limited. (MSE)