KNHG is one of many historical professional associations worldwide. KNHG has close ties with a number of these international sister associations. These contacts are at both the administrative and organizational levels. The main purpose of maintaining these contacts is to exchange knowledge and learn from each other's experiences. The KNHG informs its members and other people interested in history about conferences, meetings, and relevant publications of these sister associations by publishing announcements, reports, and news items. The KNHG also distributes calls for proposals from sister associations via its website and digital newsletter.
The most important historical sister associations for the KNHG are:
American Historical Association (AHA)
The AHA is the largest professional association of historians in the world, representing 12,000 historians from all disciplines working in all states of the United States. The AHA was founded in 1884 and has been recognized by the US Congress since 1889 as an institution that promotes historical scholarship. The AHA stands for leadership within the discipline, safeguarding academic freedom, developing professional standards, promoting historical scholarship and scholarly publication, focusing on innovation in education, and supporting its members wherever possible.
The AHA organizes its Annual Meeting in the first week of January each year. A member of the KNHG office attends every year.
Verband der Historiker und Historikerinnen Deutschlands (VHD)
The German VHD was founded in 1895 and has approximately 3,000 members. According to its statutes, the association's main tasks are to ‘promote the organization of historical studies and, above all, to represent German historians in public debate’.
Every two years, the VHD organizes a large conference, the Historikertag, which attracts a large number of participants (approximately 3,500 per conference). Each Historikertag has a theme, and each edition involves collaboration with a host country.
Royal Historical Society (RHS)
The RHS was founded in 1868 and is the most important historical professional association in the United Kingdom. Its aim is to promote scientific historiography. The RHS plays an active role in the policy development of the scientific study of history.
Historical Association (HA)
The HA was founded in 1906 by history teachers and university lecturers who were committed to promoting good history teaching in primary and secondary schools in the United Kingdom. To this day, the HA supports teachers in primary and secondary education with subject-specific and didactic programs, publications, and advice. The HA's broader goal is to promote the learning and enjoyment of history at all levels. It also aims to bring together people who share an interest in and love for the past.
The HA organizes an annual conference.
International Committee of Historical Sciences (ICHS/CISH)
As a national association, the KNHG represents the Netherlands in the international organization of historians: the International Committee of Historical Sciences (IHCS), also known by its French name Comité international des sciences historiques (CISH). This international association is primarily active in organizing the quinquennial world congress for historians. In 2010, the KNHG organized this event in Amsterdam together with the ICHS.
The office and board publish a Newsletter on an irregular basis.