new online journal focused on us cultural & intellectual history.
…criticism has been the great American lay philosophy, the intellectual conscience and the intellectual carryall.
— Alfred Kazin
Beginning in February 2025, The Carryall provides a digital venue for writing, scholarship, and commentary in US cultural and intellectual history.
Currently there is no journal, either online or in print, that focuses explicitly on US cultural and intellectual history. As new forms of digital publishing emerge from the heyday of blogging, The Carryall offers a place for scholarship and writing in US cultural and intellectual history positioned as rigorous, sophisticated, adventurous, exciting, and accessible fields of inquiry.
The Carryall views US cultural and intellectual history as consisting of diverse, interdisciplinary voices that contribute perspectives on how ideas and culture matter historically, both in and beyond the United States. We do not wish to reproduce “exceptionalist” views of the US or strongly attach scholarship to the needs of one nation-state; instead, The Carryall considers materials, topics, and themes that are local, regional, national, or transnational in orientation.
Our intended audience is both scholarly and public, and often exists at the boundary between specialized knowledge and a general interest readership. We publish in multiple modes, both traditional and experimental, from peer-reviewed essays to long-form writing, short-form features, book reviews, forums, literature reviews, commissioned essays, conference reports, correspondent reports on news from the field, interviews, lesson plans, annotated document features, annotated bibliographies, columnists, a podcast, and more. We begin with a special emphasis on roundtables about particular books and topics.
The Carryall provides writers with extensive editorial development to help bring their scholarship and writing to fruition. Additionally, qualified participants can participate in the shaping of The Carryall as contributing editors, correspondents, and in other positions related to their particular areas of interest and expertise. We look for opportunities to make effective use of the digital medium for multimedia presentation and interactive dimensions that enhance the delivery of sharp, effective historical arguments and compelling narratives as well as primary source material in US cultural and intellectual history. In the spirit of public intellectualism, our online journal is open-source and freely available rather than existing behind an expensive paywall or subscription fee.
At our home institution of SUNY Brockport, an internship program is available to advanced undergraduate and graduate students interested in the fields of digital editing, scholarly editing, and digital history. Students may enroll in the program from other institutions in addition to SUNY Brockport.
If you have questions about The Carryall, please contact editor Dr. Michael J. Kramer, mkramer@brockport.edu.