Taking is history seriously

Although efforts in building a historical tradition in information systems (IS) began since the late 1990s with the initiation of the MIS History Project, progress has been modest. The dominance of the hypothetico-deductive approach in IS research coupled with the very different nature of writing history makes for a challenging backdrop for IS researchers interested in writing IS history. Building on existing studies on writing IS history, this chapter elaborates on what is considered historic in IS, major paradigms of historiography in order to highlight several distinguishing features of IS historical studies and their potential for engendering original, fresh and insightful research that help establish the identity and relevancy of the IS field. A brief survey of historical studies in IS highlights gaps and opportunities for future research in this genre.