The journal Trabajos y Comunicaciones (T&C) has a history of more than 50 years of publications, divided into two periods.

The first period began in 1949 and lasted until 1978, with 23 issues published. Its first director was Professor Carlos Heras, who also directed the Institute of Historical Research. In the fourth issue of 1954, the role of the journal’s director disappeared, as well as the mention of the Institute. With course departments already established at FaHCE by then, it was assumed that the Head of the Department of History would be in charge of organizing the editorial committee and preparing each of the issues, drawing on proposals from the existing research institutes and those that would soon be created (Institute of Argentine History; Institute of American History; Institute of History of Culture and, until 1966, the Institute of Geography).

The Department Heads were Dr Roberto H. Marfany (1954?–1955); Professor Ricardo R. Caillet Bois (1956); Professor Carlos Heras (1959–1965); Dr Enrique M. Barba (1966–1968); Professor Andrés Allende (1970), and again Dr Enrique M. Barba (1971–1972). From 1973 to 1976 the Department of History did not have a Head in charge; an administrative secretary, Professor Liliana Seguí, is mentioned as its head. Issue No. 22 of 1973 contains a warning that reads: “The publication of this volume has been in charge of the Instituto de Historia Argentina ‘Ricardo Levene’ directed by Professor Andrés Allende.”
The last years of the first period were probably highly unstable for the journal, since for the first time its schedule of publication was interrupted for an extended period. Issue No. 23, the last one of the first period, was published in 1978 in the middle of the dictatorship, and it contains a note informing that Professor Andrés Allende was in charge of that issue and that it was Dr Juan Cuccorese who negotiated the subsidy for its publication before the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, CONICET) and the History Mutual Fund. A review of the history of our journal illustrates the diversity of the issues addressed, as well as the approaches that guided the authors. Thus, within its pages revisionist trends, New History analyses, History of Ideas viewpoints, economic history and political studies, among others, coexisted.
The second period of T&C began in 1996, until the present (2022). During the last 26 years, 34 issues have been published. The journal has undergone several changes in the management and staff, as well as in the transition from paper to digital format. Between 1996 and 2022, the following Department Directors succeeded each other: Professor Ricardo Rivas; Dr María Elena Infesta; Dr Marta Valencia; Professor Gonzálo de Amézola; Dr Andrea Zingarelli and Professor María Laura Lenci. In 2001-2002 Professor Silvia Mallo was appointed as Journal Editor, in accordance with the requirements of the organizations in charge of scientific journal evaluation.

Between 1996 and 2008, an important financial effort was required to support the journal, with the collaboration of professors, students and graduates of the degree course. In this way, 11 issues were published in these 12 years. In 2009, Dr Guillermo D. Banzato was appointed as director and the journal took a different turn in terms of edition. The internal organization of the staff began to change, and was brought into line with the recommendations of national and international organizations and adapted to databases with the aim of increasing visibility. But a major change came in 2013 with Issue No. 39, when the journal began to be published completely online; and with Issue No. 40, when it switched to a biannual periodicity. From 2015 to the present, 15 issues have been edited by the team led by Dr Guillermo O. Quinteros.

The journal still upholds and reinforces the same spirit: being a means of dissemination for the Department of History, with a teaching spirit, but including research on a wide range of topics, in addition to the work resulting from university outreach projects. The journal is open to contributions that respond to such activities, both locally, nationally and abroad.

 

Guillermo O. Quinteros

Director

Ensenada, December 12th 2022