African History

The following is a selected list of resources for starting research in African history. For further assistance, ask at the Reference Desk or contact the History Librarian (John Russell; johnruss@uoregon.edu; (541) 346-2689; AIM: UOHistLib). For more information see the Research Guide to African Studies.

Off-campus access to some of the electronic resources listed on this page is limited to current UO students, faculty, and staff and is indicated by a UO button .

Background Information

The following reference sources can help you identify a topic for your research, provide an overview of a specific issue or topic, and suggest other materials which might be useful for your research. Always use the index if one is available.

Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience REF KNIGHT DT14 .A37435 2005 ; available online as part of the Oxford African American Center.

Five-volume set of brief, signed articles including cross references. Arranged alphabetically. Contains many color maps and illustrations. Includes a select bibliography for the entire work.The earlier, one-volume edition is in the stacks (DT14 .A37435 1999).

New Encyclopedia of Africa REF KNIGHT DT2 .N48 2008

A five-volume encyclopedia arranged alphabetically. Includes cross-references and English-language bibliographies for further reading.

Encyclopedia of African History & Culture REF KNIGHT DT3 .P27 2001

Three-volume encyclopedia divided chronologically into Ancient Africa (pre-history to 500 C.E.), African Kingdoms (500-1500), and From Conquest to Colonization (1500-1850). Includes cross-references, some bibliographies, glossary of specialized terms and an index.

Encyclopedia of Precolonial Africa REF KNIGHT DT2 .E53 1997

A single volume of thematic articles including extensive bibliographies. Also available online.

Historical Dictionary of.... Knight Reference

A series of historical dictionaries of varying quality published by Scarecrow Press. Search the UO Library Catalog by title for Historical Dictionary of [country name].

 Europa World Plus

Profiles of each country include a historical overview, information on geography, economics and statistics as well as a governmental directory and a bibliography for each country.

Other Strategies

Browse the nearby shelves for related information.

Talk to your professor & others with subject knowledge.

Ask a librarian.

Finding Articles

To look for articles in journals, newspapers, or magazines, you will need to start with an index. An index will allow you to look for article citations by subject, by author, or by a few keywords which describe your topic.

Historical Abstracts

The main index in world history covering articles written about the period 1450 to the present.

 JSTOR

Full-text access to back issues of selected journals in History and other disciplines.

Web of Science

Covers articles written 1996-present. Particularly strong coverage of core African history journals. Use the search tips to search effectively. Its more sophisticated feature allows you to search for other articles that cited a key article or for articles that the key article cited.

Academic Search Premier

An interdisciplinary index. Includes citations from popular as well as scholarly journals. Provides full text for over 3,600 journals as well as indexing and abstracts for nearly 4,500 additional journals many of which are peer reviewed.

African Journals Online

An online database which aims to provide access to scholarly journals published in Africa. Much, but not all, of the content is freely available (open access).

African Newspapers from the World Newspaper Archive

Full-text access to selected African newspapers, primarily covering the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

AllAfrica.com

African newspaper articles dating back to the early 1990s.

Africabib

The site consists of two bibliographic databases covering Africana periodical literature (Bibliography of Africana Periodical Literature Database) and African Women's literature (African Women's Database).

After identifying articles which look useful for your research, look up the journal title, not the article title, in the UO Library Catalog to determine if the Library subscribes to this title and get the call number and location.

Finding Books

UO Library Catalog

Identify books by topic, title or author. Identify journals and magazines owned by the UO Library. If you do not find a pre-1976 book here, search the card catalog (author or title only) in the Current Periodicals Room.

Summit: the catalog of the Orbis Cascade Alliance

Orbis Cascade puts millions of items at your fingertips. Books not owned by the UO Library or not available for check out may be requested through Orbis Cascade Borrowing: Request Item.

World Bibliographical Series

A series of guides by country. Each includes annotated entries for books and articles by theme. Search the UO Library Catalog by title World Bibliographical Series and limit your search by title or subject [country name].

Facts & Figures

International Historical Statistics 1750-1988: Africa, Asia & Oceania HA4675 .M552 1998 Knight Reference

Presents comparative statistics, mostly from the mid-19th century to the late 1970s. Organized by broad subject areas. Sources are noted.

Pan-African Chronology: A Comprehensive Reference to the Black Quest for Freedom in Africa, the Americas, Europe and Asia

Volume I (1400-1865) DT17 .J46 1996 Knight Reference

Volume II ( 1865-1915) E185.2 .J46 1998 Knight Reference

Statistical Abstract of the World HA154 .S83 3rd ed. 1997 Knight

Contains statistics by country. Includes data from 1970-1990s.

Other Online Resources

• Aluka provides access to primary source material from Africa, such as Islamic manuscripts, maps, and South African political texts. Access to UO affiliates only.
• Guide to African Studies from UO Libraries
• Africa: History from the African Studies WWW at U. Penn
• African History on the Internet from Karen Fung at Stanford University
• Internet African History Sourcebook "On this site historical sources on the history of human societies in the continent of Africa are presented, when available, with out making prejudgements about what is 'African.'"