Research Guides: African & African American Studies: Getting Started

Reference Sources

Items in the Reference collection -- particularly subject encyclopedias -- are great starting points for your research. Encyclopedia articles offer concise overviews of a topic, summaries of key research in a particular discipline, and often include a bibliography which can serve as a starting list of sources for your project.

Reference Sources of Note

Oxford African American Studies Center
Please use Dartmouth's VPN for off campus access. Collection of reference works on the African diaspora, with a focus on the United States. Includes encyclopedias, biographical dictionaries, timelines, maps, and more. Core titles include: African American National Biography; Black Women in America, 2nd ed. ; Dictionary of African Biography; and The Dictionary of Caribbean and Afro-Latin American Biography

Cambridge Histories Online
Extensive series, particularly strong in political and cultural histories.
Encyclopedia of African American Culture and History (2nd ed., 2006)
Encyclopedia of Black Studies by Molefi Kete Asante (Editor); Mambo Ama Mazama (Editor)
New Encyclopedia of Africa (2nd ed.)

EIU Country Reports
The Economist Intelligence Unit provides reports on nearly 200 countries. Each report examines and explains in depth the issues shaping the countries: the political scene, economic policy, domestic economy, sector trends, and foreign trade and payments. Detailed two-year forecasts complement the analysis and pinpoint political and economic developments and trends.

Oxford African American Studies Center
Please use Dartmouth's VPN for off campus access. Collection of reference works on the African diaspora, with a focus on the United States. Includes encyclopedias, biographical dictionaries, timelines, maps, and more. Core titles: African American National Biography; Black Women in America, 2nd ed. ; Dictionary of African Biography; and the Dictionary of Caribbean and Afro-Latin American Biography
American national biography
Offers portraits of more than 17,400 men and women -- from all eras and walks of life -- whose lives have shaped the nation. The publication of the online edition makes the ANB even more useful as a dynamic source of information -- updated quarterly, with hundreds of new entries each year and revisions of previously published entries to enhance their accuracy and currency. The ANB Online also features thousands of illustrations, more than 80,000 hyperlinked cross-references, links to select web sites, and powerful search capabilities.;Features thousands of illustrations, hyperlinked cross-references and links to select web sites.
Biography and genealogy master index
A comprehensive index to nearly 12 million biographical sketches in more than 2700 volumes and editions of current and retrospective reference books, covering both contemporary and historical figures throughout the world.

Databank
The World Bank's suite of statistical databases, including World Development Indicators
Sage Data Statistical Datasets
(fka Data Planet) Repository of standardized and structured statistical data: 25 billion data points in over 4.3 billion datasets sourced from over 70 authoritative government and private sources.
Subjects: Statistics and Data, Business/Finance, Social Sciences: Political Science (election data, campaign finance, lobbying revenue, etc.), criminal justice, social work, Demography, International Studies, Economics, Agriculture, Education, Nursing/Public Health, Environment/Climate Data/Energy and more. Help Guide

Historical Statistics of Black America
Baker Berry Ref. E185 .H543 1995 v.1-2

A statistical overview of African American history from the 17th century through the mid-1970s.
International Historical Statistics
Economic and social indicators back to 1750, collected from official government publications and other statistical primary sources.

OECD Data Explorer
Includes research and statistics on: agriculture, education, emerging economics, employment, energy, industry & trade, environment, finance, nuclear energy, science & information technology, social issues, taxation, and transport.
Statista: the leading statistics portal
Provides access to statistics and studies gathered by market researchers, trade organizations, scientific publications, and government sources on over 600 industries.
UNdata
search across data from the United Nations Statistics and Population Divisions as well as other United Nations agencies.

African American Religious Cultures
This encyclopedia offers the most comprehensive presentation available on the diversity and richness of religious practices among African Americans, from traditions predating the era of the transatlantic slave trade to contemporary religious movements. * Over 80 alphabetically organized entries on religious traditions embraced by African Americans, covering their historical development, doctrines, rituals, and key figures * Over 50 contributors, each a distinguished scholar familiar with the richness of African American religious life
Cambridge Companion to African American Theatre (2nd ed., 2023) by Harvey Young (Editor)
History of African American theatre, from the early nineteenth century to the present day.
A Companion to African Literatures by Olakunle George (Editor)
A Companion to African American Literature by Gene Andrew Jarrett (Editor)

Encyclopedia of African American women writers
Baker-Berry Reference PS153.N5 E49 2007
Also see: Writing African American women : an encyclopedia of literature by and about women of color [Baker-Berry stacks PS153.N5 W756 2006]

Encyclopedia of African Religion by Molefi Kete Asante (Editor); Ama Mazama (Editor)
Online!
Encyclopedia of the Black Arts Movement by Verner D. Mitchell (Editor); Cynthia Davis (Editor)
Call Number: Baker-Berry Stacks - NX512.3 .A35 E53 2019
Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance
Call Number: Baker-Berry Reference NX512.3.A35 E53 2004
From the music of Louis Armstrong to the portraits by Beauford Delaney, the writings of Langston Hughes to the debut of the musical Show Boat, the Harlem Renaissance is one of the most significant developments in African-American history in the twentieth century. The Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance,in two-volumes and over 635 entries, is the first comprehensive compilation of information on all aspects of this creative, dynamic period. For a full list of entries, contributors, and more, visit the Encyclopedia of Harlem Renaissancewebsite.

Encyclopedia of the Harlem literary renaissance
Baker-Berry stacks PS153.N5 B675 2006
The Garland encyclopedia of world music online
The encyclopedia is comprised of ten volumes, arranged by region (Africa, Central/South America & the Caribbean, North America, Southeast Asia, South Asia/India, The Middle East, East Asia, Europe, Australia/Pacific Islands). Each entry is authored by a musicologist specializing in a particular region, who includes an overview of major musical traditions in the area. Encyclopedia entries may be printed in full text by clicking the icon above the article viewer. Includes accompanying audio, including field recordings, via streaming.

Greenwood Encyclopedia of African American Folklore
Call Number: Baker-Berry Ref. GR111.A47 G74 2006
"While the encyclopedia gives special attention to music, art, folktales, spiritual beliefs, foodways, proverbs, and other topics central to African American folklore, it also discusses the Caribbean and African roots of traditional African American culture."

Greenwood encyclopedia of multiethnic American literature
Baker-Berry Ref. PS153.M56 G74 2005 (vols. 1-5)

The Routledge Companion to African American Art History by Eddie Chambers (Editor)

Black women in America (2nd ed.)
Online! Paper copy available in Baker-Berry Ref. E185.86 .B542 2005
Also included in Oxford African American Studies Center
The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed
Wonderful, freely available online encyclopedia "dedicated to providing reference materials to the general public on African American history in the United States and on the history of people of African ancestry around the world"
Civil Rights Digital Library
Multi-institutional project hosted at the University of Georgia.
An online archive of both primary & secondary documents drawing from collections nationwide. Includes television news footage, photographs, oral histories, reports, published books/articles, and more.

Encyclopedia of Race and Racism
Examines the anthropological, sociological, historical, economic, and scientific theories of race and racism in the modem era. Delves into the historic origins of ideas of race and racism and explores their social and scientific consequences.

Harvard guide to African-American history
Baker Berry Ref. E185 .H326 2001
Useful tool for identifying relevant materials published through 2000, this bibliography's introductory essays also provide excellent overviews.
The Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African History
Substantial, peer-reviewed topical articles on African history with extensive bibliographies and suggested readings.
Routledge atlas of African American history
Evans Map Room E185 .E125 2000
A broad overview supported by maps of demographic and other social data.

The Routledge Companion to Black Women's Cultural Histories by Janell Hobson (Editor)