Research Guides: AEGS- American Ethnic & Gender Studies : Background Sources

Finding Background Sources

Find print and electronic encyclopedias in our collection by combining your topic keywords with the word "encyclopedia" in the search bar below. EXAMPLE: "conflict and encyclopedia" You might also try combining topic keywords with words like "handbook," "dictionary," "research guide," or "companion."

Examples of encyclopedias and handbooks

Hip Hop Around the World: An Encyclopedia by Melissa Ursula Dawn Goldsmith (Editor); Anthony J. Fonseca (Editor)
Call Number: Main Collection - 2nd Floor ; 782.421649 Hi611g

Covers all aspects of international hip hop as expressed through music, art, fashion, dance, and political activity in more than 450 entries on global hip hop culture.
Opinions Throughout History: Gender Roles by Grey House Publishing
Call Number: eBook

Publication Date: 2018

Drawing from the popular press, key court and legislative battles, speeches, social activism and opinion polls, Opinions Throughout History: Gender Roles offers readers mixed sources of information woven together to highlight the overall momentum of developing public opinion.
The Palgrave Handbook of Ethnicity by Steven Ratuva (Editor)
Call Number: eBook

Publication Date: 2020

This handbook provides a comprehensive and cutting-edge analysis of ethnicity exploring numerous aspects of ethnicity and how it is linked to a range of contemporary political, economic and social issues at the global, regional as well as local levels.
The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Urban and Regional Studies by Anthony M. Orum
Call Number: eBook

Publication Date: 2019

Over 450 entries from a range of theoretical perspectives, offering a global perspective on matters of gender, community, displacement, environmental issues, housing, and urbanism.

Databases for Background Sources

CQ Researcher Plus Archive
In-depth reports on current and controversial topics. Includes images, background information, pro/con, charts, and statistics.
Credo Reference
More than 1,000 encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases, and reference handbooks.
ProQuest eBook Central (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Collection)
Over 18,000 librarian-selected eBook titles covering Asian Studies, Women's Studies, Black Studies, Hispanic/Latino Studies and much more.

Background sources on the open web

Encyclopedia of American Studies
Published by Johns Hopkins University Press, this work covers the history, philosophy, arts, and cultures of the United States in relation to the world, from pre-colonial days to the present, from various perspectives and the global American Studies movement.