Ethnology

Ethnology was a scholarly anthropology journal founded in 1962 by anthropologist George Peter Murdock and published by the University of Pittsburgh. Its editorial scope centered on ethnographic writing and comparative work across cultures, placing the journal within the tradition of cross-cultural anthropology and the systematic comparison of social institutions, customs, and cultural patterns. The title served an academic readership rather than a consumer market, including anthropologists, ethnologists, area specialists, researchers, and university libraries. The journal was issued quarterly and accumulated 50 annual volumes through the end of 2011. Its content included research articles dealing with ethnographic subjects and cross-cultural studies. This focus gave Ethnology a position in the academic publishing landscape as a specialized venue for anthropology rather than a general-interest social-science periodical. The journal’s identity was closely associated with the University of Pittsburgh, which published and maintained its online presence. Ethnology also developed a digital archive accessible to subscribers. The archive covered the journal’s published volumes, while individual issues became available through open access after a 36-month delay. This delayed-access model combined subscription-based scholarly distribution with eventual wider availability, helping preserve and extend access to older research. Publication continued through 2012, after which the journal was discontinued. The available reference material describes the archive as containing all 50 annual volumes published up to and including the end of 2011, indicating that the main run of the title concluded around the transition from 2011 to 2012. No evidence is provided of a successor brand, merger, acquisition, commercial ownership, or continuing publication under the same name. Ethnology is therefore best understood as a defunct academic journal title whose principal enduring asset is its scholarly archive and contribution to anthropological literature.

Ethnology was established in 1962 by George Peter Murdock, a prominent anthropologist associated with comparative and cross-cultural research. From its inception, the journal was published by the University of Pittsburgh and operated as a specialized scholarly outlet for anthropology. Its title reflected an intellectual emphasis on the description and comparison of cultures, communities, social institutions, and customary practices. The publication followed a quarterly schedule. Rather than serving as a broad social-science magazine, it provided a formal venue for ethnographic articles and cross-cultural studies aimed at an academic audience. Its subject matter placed it within a research tradition that uses detailed accounts of particular societies alongside comparative analysis across regions and cultural settings. Through this focus, the journal contributed to the circulation of specialized anthropological scholarship and became part of the reference literature used by researchers and academic institutions. Over its publication history, Ethnology produced 50 annual volumes through the end of 2011. The University of Pittsburgh maintained the journal’s institutional publishing role and later supported its online presence. Digital preservation and distribution became an important part of the title’s legacy: an online archive made the historical run available to subscribers, while issues were scheduled to enter open access 36 months after publication. This arrangement preserved the subscription model for recent scholarship while creating a route toward broader access to older material. The journal was discontinued in 2012. The available sources do not identify a specific final editor, a successor publication, a financial transaction, or a formal explanation for the decision to end publication. Following discontinuation, the journal’s principal continuing function has been archival and bibliographic. Its historical volumes remain relevant as a record of ethnographic and comparative anthropological scholarship published during the journal’s five-decade run.

• 2012

  Publication discontinued

  [1]Ethnology (journal)en.wikipedia.org

  Ethnology ceased publication after a run that began in 1962.

• 2011

  Fiftieth annual volume completed

  [1]Ethnology (journal)en.wikipedia.org

  The journal’s online archive was described as containing all 50 annual volumes published through the end of 2011.

• 1962

  Journal founded

  [1]Ethnology (journal)en.wikipedia.org

  George Peter Murdock founded Ethnology as a specialized anthropology journal published by the University of Pittsburgh.

A specialized academic anthropology publication emphasizing ethnographic documentation and comparative, cross-cultural analysis.

• Scholarly anthropology journal · 1962

  Ethnology

  The core offering was a quarterly peer-reviewed-style academic journal devoted to ethnographic articles and cross-cultural studies. It addressed professional and scholarly readers in anthropology and related fields, publishing research concerned with cultural comparison and the documentation of societies and social practices. The journal ran from 1962 until its discontinuation in 2012.

• Digital scholarly archive

  Ethnology online archive

  The journal’s digital archive preserved its historical publication run, including 50 annual volumes through the end of 2011. Archive access was available to subscribers, with individual issues becoming open access after a 36-month delay. The archive represents the principal continuing access point for the journal’s past research after publication ended.

• 2012

  Discontinuation of publicationStrategy

  Background

  After publishing 50 annual volumes through the end of 2011, the University of Pittsburgh-associated journal was discontinued in 2012.

  Action taken

  Publication of new issues was ended while the existing scholarly record remained available through the online archive.

  Aftermath

  Ethnology became a defunct journal title, with its archive serving as the main continuing resource for its historical content.

  Source

1. 1Ethnology (journal)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2Ethnology journal websitepitt.edu