Focus on Family Historians: How Ancestor Research Affects Self-Understanding and Well-Being

Dear colleague,

Tracing our genealogy and exploring the lives of our forebears through family history research has become an extraordinarily popular pastime in recent years. For many family historians, the quest to find out more about their ancestors goes well beyond idle curiosity and has become a passionate endeavour that stirs up intense emotions. Why? What are the individual and social drivers that motivate this quest and how do the outcomes of family history research contribute to—or disturb—personal well-being?

In this Special Issue of Genealogy, we are seeking articles that address the topics of:

• Motives for family history research, e.g., self-understanding, generativity, spirituality, cognitive challenge, relationship strengthening, belongingness. The role of loss, grief and trauma in stimulating family history research;
• Outcomes of family history research, including both positive contributions and threats to well-being, self-esteem and mental health. Examples include relationship strengthening or breakdown as a result of genealogical exploration, effects of exposing family secrets, psychological benefits of reminiscence, role of belongingness in well-being, notions of clan and kinship in forging identity;
• Family history as therapy.

Articles can include:

• Empirical research, both qualitative and quantitative;
• Case material;
• Literature reviews and discursive papers.

Researchers writing from the perspectives of psychology, psychiatry, social work, sociology, family studies, public health, history and other cognate disciplines are welcome to contribute, as are family historians with relevant stories to tell.

Prof. Dr. Susan M. Moore
Prof. Dr. Doreen Rosenthal
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Genealogy is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.