Search term tips:

Thinking about your topic and potential search terms is a critical step in the research process.  Sometimes authors (or databases!) use certain vocabulary when discussing a topic.  Other authors (or databases) might use a different term.  Try searching for synonyms for your search terms if at first you don't succeed! Also...

Books:
When searching for books, it's best to use fewer keywords even if your topic is more complex.  For example, for inequality or racial conflict in China, just type and search for China.

Articles:
When searching for articles in databases (ProQuest or EbscoHost/Academic Search Complete) consider more specific or complex combinations of search term. 

Here are some ideas:

1. Country names:

China
china, or chinese, or tibet, or tibetan

India
india, or hindu, or hinduism, or sikh, or caste, or dalits, or jatis

South Africa
"south africa" or "south african", or "post-apartheid"

AND

2. Terms for Social Stratification:

stratification, or "social stratification", or stratified, or race, or racial, or ethnic, or ethnicity, or "ethnic conflict", or inequality, or disparity, or segregation, or assimilation, or assimilate, or pluralism, or pluralistic, or discriminat*

AND

3. For an even narrower search add terms like:

education, or health, or wealth, or wealthiest, or rich, or richest, or poor, or poorest, or poverty