The International Dictionary of Intellectual Historians (IDIH) is a long-term project undertaken in collaboration with the ISIH. It aims to provide a comprehensive online database of twentieth-century authors whose work has shaped the development of intellectual history.
Up to 1,000 intellectual historians from various countries and disciplines will ultimately be included within the resource, alongside full bio-bibliographical information and an article describing the defining features and significance of their scholarly work. To be considered for inclusion within the database, historians:
- Must have published at least two major works in intellectual history between 1900 and 1970;
- Must have published work that is broad in scope (i.e. not focused on a single intellectual figure), and narrative in the broadest sense of the term;
- Must have been influential on subsequent generations of work.
These criteria are not, of course, wholly definitive, and will be subject to constant modification and revision on the basis of discussion and consultation with the wider academic community.
Until 2005, the project was based at the Herzog August Bibliothek (Wolfenbüttel, Germany). In 2006, the database was relocated to Leipzig University Library, and as of 2010 the IDIH has existed on a free-standing wiki. In its current form, the database currently contains over 800 head entries and a steadily growing collection of sample articles, as well as links to resources relevant to intellectual history (such as pdf scans of selected back issues of the Intellectual News). The IDIH is a work in progress that can only grow with the help and participation of scholars worldwide. As such, if you are interested in suggesting entries or participating actively in the work of the dictionary, please contact the resource team.