It began as a rephrasing of the word "history" as part of a feminist critique of traditional historiography, which they believe is traditionally published as "his tale," i.e., from the male perspective. The term "his story" came to be used as an alternative, more inclusive way to describe the historical record. In 1997, Canadian scholar Beryl Smelcer began the first full-scale academic study of hisstory writing. She defined hisstory as "a transnational genre that shares characteristics of history and autobiography by telling the stories of individuals or groups of people over time." Hisstory writers often focus on marginalized subjects within history, such as women, minorities, refugees, aboriginals, and others who may not be included in conventional histories. Hisstory writing has similarities with both history and autobiography. It is history because of its focus on important events in the lives of individuals or groups of people. It is autobiography because these events are often related in detail through interviews with contemporaries or secondary sources. Smelcer argues that hisstory writing is a unique form that combines elements from both history and autobiography. It is written by individuals who are either excluded from or underrepresented in traditional histories. As a result, hisstory writers can offer new perspectives on past events because they have not been told before.