International Students of History Association (ISHA)

What International Students of History Association (ISHA) does

The International Students of History Association (ISHA) is a non-profit, volunteer-led NGO founded in 1990 and registered in Berlin, Germany, that connects history students across more than 30 national sections through academic programming, publications, and community events. Its core products are the Carnival peer-reviewed academic journal (25 published volumes), four annual International Seminars hosted at partner universities, PhD Workshops, ISHA Talks (an online Zoom presentation series launched in September 2024), the ISHA Book Club on Discord, and the newly launched Critical History Tours Project, an EU-funded educational-tour initiative hosted in partnership with Euroclio. The Carnival journal is built on a standard editorial workflow and published via the organization's website; seminars and tours rely on conventional conferencing infrastructure (Zoom, university venues) and a WordPress-based web presence, with no proprietary technology platform. The business model is non-dues-funded: revenue is generated primarily through small per-event registration fees (approximately €50 per seminar participant; €105-€195 per bike-tour participant depending on nationality and category), supplemented by project grants from the European Union (via Euroclio) and the Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies (AABS) and voluntary member contributions. Operations are executed by an elected Board and roughly 11 volunteer coordinators, with the only paid labor being two students hired specifically for the Critical History Tours Project.

Name

International Students of History Association (ISHA)

Legal name

International Students of History Association

Website

https://ishainternational.wordpress.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ISHA is a volunteer-led, Berlin-registered non-profit founded in 1990 that connects history students across 30+ countries through peer-reviewed journals, international seminars, online talks, and EU-funded educational tours.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

International

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Event Registration Fees: Participants pay registration fees to attend ISHA seminars and conferences. For example, the Winter seminar 2025 charged €50 registration fee.
2. Membership Contributions: Active members who paid their participation fee in the last 12 months have voting rights. Membership is tied to event participation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ISHA is a volunteer-led student association that organizes international academic seminars and conferences for history students (BA to PhD level), publishes the Carnival peer-reviewed academic journal, runs ISHA Talks online presentations, and delivers PhD training workshops. The organization also participates in the EU-funded Critical History Tours Project consortium led by Euroclio. Membership and participation are offered through local university sections and direct event registration.

Product overview

ISHA (International Students of History Association) is a non-profit organization founded in 1990 to connect history students worldwide. The organization operates a portfolio of educational and scholarly offerings rather than a unified software product. Its core products include: Carnival, an annual double-blind peer-reviewed academic journal published in open access; ISHA Talks, an online presentation series hosted on Zoom; and International Seminars, large academic conferences held multiple times per year. Supporting offerings include PhD Workshops for doctoral training, the Critical History Tours Project (EU-funded), educational guides, and virtual book clubs. The portfolio is delivered through WordPress-based websites and third-party platforms like Zoom, without a proprietary software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Carnival: ISHA International's annual scientific journal - a double-blind peer-reviewed academic journal directed by a committee of international graduate students and early career researchers. Publishes articles, short essays, and book reviews in history and related fields.
• ISHA Talks
• Critical History Tours

Products and services

• Carnival Academic Journal ISHA's annual double-blind peer-reviewed academic journal directed by a committee of international graduate students and early career researchers. Publishes original research articles (±7000-8000 words), short essays (±2500 words), and book reviews (±1500 words) in all fields of history and related disciplines, with 25+ volumes published since inception.
• ISHA Talks Online presentation series where ISHA members present original findings and insights from their PhD studies, projects, internships, and history-related jobs. Hosted by the PhD & Training Committee on Zoom, with each session consisting of a 30-minute lecture followed by 30 minutes of questions and discussion.
• International Seminars Program ISHA's flagship event program consisting of typically four large international seminars per year plus smaller local events, open to all students of History and related fields from BA to PhD level. Events include academic presentations, workshops, PhD sessions, and social programs held across European cities.
• PhD Workshop An integral part of ISHA seminars since 2015, designed for current doctoral students and MA students considering pursuing a PhD. Focuses on transferable skills, key concepts, and challenges of the PhD process, facilitating networking and transfer of practical and theoretical knowledge.
• Critical History Tours Project EU-funded project hosted by Euroclio and a consortium of partners including ISHA. Aims to map and test existing critical history tours to develop a training program for becoming a critical history tour guide, focusing on subversive elements and critical perspectives on history.
• ISHA Book Club Virtual book club meetings where ISHA members discuss pre-selected works. Meetings are held on Discord with guided discussions on selected historical works.

Quantifiable outcome

• 35+ years of continuous operation connecting history students internationally

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Faculty of Humanities of the University of LatviacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 September 2025Co-organizer of the ISHA Winter seminar 2025 'Multiple Baltics' in Riga. The Faculty of Humanities (as of July 2024 consolidates several former faculties including History and Philosophy, Theology, etc.) hosts the seminar venue and academic program at the University of Latvia.
• Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies (AABS)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 September 2025Provides academic project and events grant support for the 2025-2026 Winter seminar 'Multiple Baltics' program.
• Student Council of University of LatviaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 September 2025Co-sponsor of the ISHA Winter seminar 2025 in Riga, providing institutional support.
• EurocliocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 April 2025ISHA is part of the Critical History Tours project consortium hosted by Euroclio. The project aims to map and test existing critical history tours to develop training programs for becoming a critical history tour guide. Funded by the EU.
• Deutsche-Gesellschaft e.V.minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 22 March 2024Organizes educational bike tours (e.g., 'Biking Across History: Rethinking Memelland') in Lithuania. ISHA acts as promotional partner, sharing information with members. Tour explores German-Lithuanian cultural connections.
• FfabulaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 May 2023Local partner organization for ISHA Summer Seminar 2023 in Prague, Czechia, assisting with local arrangements.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Phi Alpha Theta: US-based national honor society for history students. Comparable as a history-student membership organization that runs conferences, publishes a journal (The Historian), and provides academic recognition to students at undergraduate and graduate levels.
• Euroclio - European Association for History Educators: European association for history educators; ISHA's core strategic partner on the EU-funded Critical History Tours project. Directly comparable as a pan-European history-focused membership organization with similar educational mission and event programming.
• H-Net: International network of scholars in the humanities and social sciences. Comparable as a community-led academic network running mailing lists, online discussions, and member-driven events for historians and adjacent disciplines.

Broad incumbents

• Royal Historical Society: Established UK learned society and charity for historians. Comparable as a history-focused membership organization with journals and events, but operates as a broader professional body for all historians rather than a student-led association.
• American Historical Association: Largest professional organization for historians in the US, with annual meeting, multiple journals, and broad membership. Comparable as a history-focused membership body, but at significantly larger scale and broader scope than ISHA's student-led model.
• International Federation of Historical Sciences: Global organization of national and specialized historical societies, hosting the International Congress of Historical Sciences. Comparable as a global history-focused membership body with conferences and publications, but academic-society rather than student-led.
• European Students' Association (formerly ESU): Pan-European umbrella organization for national student unions. Comparable as a student-led, non-profit European association with elected leadership, member-based governance, and advocacy programming — but at a much larger political and institutional scale.

Emerging players

• Young European Federalists (JEF Europe): Pan-European youth-led NGO with national sections, conferences, and publications. Comparable structural model to ISHA: volunteer-led, section-based, pan-European, event-driven, non-profit — but focused on political/integration themes rather than history.
• International History Olympiad: International student competition in history. Comparable as an international student-facing history organization running global events, but focused on competition rather than academic conferences and publishing.

Regional players

• Berkshire Conference of Women Historians: Major US-based academic conference for historians. Comparable as a recurring international academic conference for historians with a community-building mission, though US-centric and without a continuous journal or year-round programming.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@international-students-history
• Facebookfacebook.com/isha.inter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/isha-international
• Instagraminstagram.com/isha.inter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about International Students of History Association (ISHA)