Reference Books
Sometimes the best place to start is a subject specific encyclopedia. All titles below can be accessed online.
Why Should I Start With These Resources?
Good question -- here are a few reasons:
- Get an overview of a new or complex topic
- Find authoritative information
- Find out the names of key players in a given area
- Locate terms that you can use in your research
- Help narrow (or expand) your topic
- Locate a bibliography of sources to help you start your research.
Check out the Student Research Productivity Guide for more helpful tips.
Online Resources
These databases are useful for preliminary research on various topics, persons, themes, and time periods that relate to the study of the African diaspora and peoples of African descent in America and other parts of the world.
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African American Biographical Database This link opens in a new windowCollection of African American history: biographical sketches, rare books. Includes content of Black Biographical Dictionaries 1790-1950.
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African American Experience This link opens in a new windowContains hundreds of articles from Greenwood Press, Negro University Press, and many other sources covering all aspects of the African American experience. The database includes articles, audio clips, images, primary source documents, maps, monographs, and government documents.
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Oxford African American Studies Center This link opens in a new windowThis database contains over 7500 articles from five Oxford University Press encyclopedias and 18 other OUP reference sources. Covers all aspects of the African American experience. The database includes articles, primary source documents, images, maps, charts, tables, and government documents. The African American National Biography is also included in this database.
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Oxford Bibliographies This link opens in a new windowLiterary guide to significant sources on a variety of subjects. Works as an annotated bibliography and a high-level encyclopedia.
Useful E-Books
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Atlas of SlaverySlavery transformed Africa, Europe and the Americas and hugely-enhanced the well-being of the West but the subject of slavery can be hard to understand because of its huge geographic and chronological span. This book uses a unique atlas format to present the story of slavery, explaining its historical importance and making this complex story and its geographical setting easy to understand. -
The Black Studies ReaderIn 32 articles, leading scholars examine what the editors call the 'socially engaged field' of Black studies. They examine the evolution of consciousness, feminist resistance, and the representation of Black men, as well as the conceptualization of culture and ideology. They also examine Black sexuality, education and religion by analyzing autonomy, subjectivity, the pedagogy and practice of education, and the role of faith in Black life. A selected bibliography is included. -
A Companion to African-American StudiesIncludes articles by a wide range of scholars that document the development of black studies in the United States and outline the trajectories of the field in all its multi-genre richness. Each original essay by an expert scholar in the field covers its topic with authority and clarity. Extensive bibliography included
Print Resources
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Blacks in the Humanities, 1750-1986Call Number: Central 3rd-flr: Z1361 .N39 J694 1999 -
Rooted in the Chants of Slaves, Blacks in the Humanities, 1985-1997Call Number: Central 3rd-flr: Z1361 .N39 J694 1999 -
Harvard Guide to African-American HistoryCall Number: Central Reference 4th-flr: E185 .H326 2001 -
Encyclopedia of African History (3 volumes)Call Number: Central Reference 4th-flr: DT20 .E53 2005 -
Pan-African Chronology 1865-1915: A Comprehensive Reference to the Black Quest for Freedom in Africa, the Americas, Europe and Asia (3 volumes)Call Number: Central Stacks: DT17 .J46 1996
