Editor Lindsay Shingler shares Current History’s new chapter
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By UC Press
The journal Current History, originally launched by UC Press as a New York Times supplement in December 1914, is the oldest continuously published journal on global affairs in the U.S. In July, it began a new chapter with an editorial team led by Lindsay Shingler, Stephan Haggard and Zethyn McKinley of the University of California’s UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC). Today’s redesigned and relaunched journal aims to bring fresh voices and new perspectives on the forces defining our time.
UC Press sat down with Lindsay Shingler, IGCC associate director and Current History’s editor to learn more about her background, her vision for the journal, and a glimpse of the July 2026 issue — the first managed by IGCC.
Q&A with Lindsay Shingler
UC Press: Welcome to Current History! We’re excited to have you lead the journal into a new era, and for a deepened partnership with our University of California colleagues.
Lindsay Shingler: Thanks! Stephen, Zethyn, and I are glad to have the opportunity to lead Current History. The journal has an incredible history and an extended “family” of contributors from all over the world who have contributed to its pages. Current History’s purpose is to document and debate history as it is unfolding in front of us— in other words, current events of such weight and importance that they are history-in-the-making. I can’t think of a better time for a publication like this, when history is being made every day.
UC Press: Tell us a little about yourself. What have you been up to, and what is it about Current History that brought you to this new editorial leadership role?
Lindsay Shingler: I have worked as a writer and editor for more than 20 years. Prior to joining UC San Diego, much of my work centered on global development policy and practice. I was based in Washington, D.C., for many years and frequently worked in Africa. At UC San Diego, I am the associate director of the UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, a UC-wide research network focused on global affairs, where I lead IGCC’s publications and communications and support the Institute’s scholars and fellows. IGCC’s extensive global networks of scholars, analysts, writers, and practitioners made our team an obvious partner for UC Press in their effort to reimagine Current History.
UC Press: What changes have you made to the journal?
Lindsay Shingler: Starting with our first issue, the July 2026 issue, Current History will be published every other month, and we’ll focus on thematic rather than regional content. We have redesigned the journal and enlisted an esteemed artist, Cate Whittemore, to create cover art that we hope readers find stunning and provocative. We are prioritizing writing that is enjoyable to read and that engages a wide variety of readers, not just scholars and policy wonks. And, we are welcoming a broad array of contributors — scholars, writers, journalists, artists, and others from around the world. Issues will include essays, dispatches, interviews, book reviews, and collections prepared by our wonderful community of contributing editors.
UC Press: Aside from format and frequency changes, we’re inspired by your vision for Current History’s voice — your plans to bring in additional perspectives from outside academic silos, to create works that are a joy to read. What can we expect to see in Current History going forward?
Lindsay Shingler: It’s really, really important to us that we engage a wide range of readers and that our pages will be an outlet for diverse contributors.
In terms of readers, we know that there is a giant deluge of analysis available, a lot of it for free, about what’s happening in the world, and we also know that even people whose jobs require them to stay on top of global affairs are finding it hard to tune in these days.
We want to provide a different take: Analysis grounded in expertise, with a longer view than the breathlessness of the news cycle, that will inform, surprise, and educate, rather than simply enrage or confirm existing views. We believe that global affairs matters because people matter — and we want stories about people to be at the center of our work. Approaching issues through stories is a way to make them real, moving, and relatable.
In terms of contributors, for the last several decades, Current History has focused on translating academic scholars’ research for broader audiences. With our new model, the journal is publishing a breathtaking range of ideas and people. We want to continue engaging with scholars while pushing them outside their comfort zones to write for general audiences in ways that delight and inform. We’re also expanding to include other expert voices, like writers, journalists, artists, and activists. Academic voices are important for helping us understand our world, but they are not the only credible voices.
UC Press: Are there particular authors or topics you’re especially excited to see published in upcoming issues?
Lindsay Shingler: All of them, of course! I love all our contributors. But as someone who writes and reads creative nonfiction, I’m excited to bring some of that form to our pages, so look out for that, especially our dispatches from around the world.
Explore the July 2026 issue of Current History
While some future articles will be reserved for subscribers, the full July 2026 issue of Current History is free and available online.
Highlights include:
- “Dispatches from Cape Town, Moscow, Delhi, Oslo, Jerusalem, Guatemala City, and Canberra”
- “The Problem with American Democracy” by Christian Davenport
- “On Climate Denial and Free Market Fundamentalism: An interview with Naomi Oreskes”
- “How Shall We Look at Each Other Then?” by Lindsay Shingler
Connect with Current History
- Sign in to read all issues or register for alerts:
- Go to the sign-in page
- Select the link for “Sign in via your Institution”
- Under the “Location” drop-down, select “InCommon (United States)
- Under “Institution,” select your UC location
- Log in using your UC credentials
- Members of the general public may purchase a subscription ($45/year) or a single issue.
- Interested contributors can review the submission guidelines.
About the UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation
IGCC is a research network comprised of scholars from across the UC and its affiliated national laboratories who produce and use research to help build a more peaceful, prosperous world. IGCC builds diverse, multidisciplinary research teams that analyze the causes and consequences of global conflict and help develop practical solutions. It also prepares future scholars, researchers, and policymakers for impactful careers and deepens connections and relationships between the UC research community and government, industry, and civil society. IGCC is based at the School of Global Policy and Strategy at UC San Diego, where several members of the leadership team and researchers serve as faculty. Learn more about IGCC.