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History

African History

Archives, Libraries, and Museums Associations, Organizations, and Institutes Background Biographical Resources Databases and Indexes Discussion Lists

Internet Guides Journals Maps Pictorial Resources Primary Sources Statistical Resources

Archives, Libraries, and Museums

Below are archives, libraries, and museums for African history. For additional resources, see History: Archives, Libraries, and Museums. To search for archival materials, use the resources at History: Archival Resources.

• Africa: Libraries (Ali B. Ali-Dinar, African Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania)

• Africa Centre: Museums and Galleries (Foundation for African Resources)

• Africa Research Central
  Gateway to the archives, libraries, and museums with important collections of African primary sources.

• Africa South of the Sahara: (Karen Fung, Stanford University Libraries)
  • Libraries: Africa
  • Museums

• British Museum: Africa

• John Henrik Clarke Africana Library (Cornell University)

• Museums Online South Africa

• National Archives and Record Service South Africa

• Repositories of Primary Sources: Africa and the Near East

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Associations, Organizations, and Institutes

For additional listings, see History: Associations, Organizations, and Institutes.

• Africana Studies and Research Center (Cornell University)

• African Studies Association

• African Studies Center (University of Pennsylvania)

• Association for the Publication of African Historical Sources

• Center for African Studies (Stanford University)

• Centre of African Studies (University of Cambridge)

• The French Colonial Historical Society

• Institute of African Studies (Columbia University)

• Mande Studies Association

• Saharan Studies Association

• South African Historical Society

• Sudan Studies Association

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Background

Sometimes you may need some information to get more familiar with your topic. Below are some materials that can provide background on topics in the African history. Additional resources are listed at History: Background.

• Africa Contemporary Record; Annual Survey and Documents. New York: Africana Publishing Co.
  HUNT REF-1 DT1 .L43
  1968-present.
  Latest in Hunt Ref; earlier in Hunt stacks.

• African Voices (Smithsonian)
  Timeline, historical and contemporary objects, themes, etc.

• Arnold, Guy. Historical Dictionary of Civil Wars in Africa. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 1999.
  HUNT REF-1 DT21.5 .A76 1999

• Beckwith, Carol and Angela Fisher. African Ceremonies. 2 vols. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1999.
  HUNT REF-1 GN645 .B4 1999

• Collins, Robert O. Historical Dictionary of Pre-colonial Africa. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, c2001.
  HUNT REF-1 DT17 .C65 2001

• Cook, Chris and David Killingray. African Political Facts Since 1945. New York: Facts on File, c1991.
  HUNT REF-1 DT30 .C594 1991

• Diagram Group. Encyclopedia of African Peoples. New York: Facts on File, 2000.
  HUNT REF-1 DT15 .E53 2000

• Drescher, Seymour and Stanley L. Engerman, eds. A Historical Guide to World Slavery. New York: Oxford University press, 1998.
  HUNT REF-1 HT861 .H59 1998

• Ember, Melvin, Carol R. Ember, and Ian Skoggard, eds. Encyclopedia of Diasporas: Immigrant and Refugee Cultures Around the World. 2 vols. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum, 2004.
  HUNT REF-1 JV6225 .E53 2004

• Esposito, John L., ed. The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World. 4 vols. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995.
  HUNT REF-1 DS35.53 .O95 1995

• Gall, Timothy L., ed. Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life: v. 1. Africa Detroit: Gale, c1998.
  HUNT REF-1 GN333 .W67 1998

• Gardinier, David E. Historical Dictionary of Gabon. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1994.
  HUNT REF-1 DT546.15 .G37 1994

• Glazier, Stephen D., ed. The Encyclopedia of African and African-American Religions. New York: Routledge, 2001.
  HUNT REF-1 BL2462.5 .E53 2001

• Gurney, Gene. Kingdoms of Asia, the Middle East, and Africa: an Illustrated Encyclopedia of Ruling Monarchs from Ancient Times to the Present. New York: Crown, c1986.
  HUNT REF-1 DS32 .G87 1986

• Internet African History Sourcebook (Paul Halsall, Fordham University)

• Lea, David. A Political Chronology of Africa. London: Europa Publications, 2001.
  HUNT REF-1 DT17 .P65 2001

• Lye, Keith and the The Diagram Group. Encyclopedia of African Nations and Civilizations. New York: Facts on File, c2002.
  HUNT REF-1 DT14 .E43 2002

• Mattar, Philip, ed. Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East & North Africa. 2nd ed. 4 vols. Detroit, Mich.: Macmillan Reference USA, 2004.
  HUNT REF-1 DS43 .E53 2004

• Moroney, Sean, ed. Handbooks to the Modern World. Africa. 2 vols. New York: Facts on File Publications, 1989.
  HUNT REF-1 DT3 .H36 1989

• Morton, Fred. Historical Dictionary of Botswana. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1989.
  HUNT REF-1 DT791 .M67 1989

• Mostyn, Trevor, ed. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the Middle East and North Africa. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1988.
  HUNT REf-1 DS44 .C37 1988

• Murray, Jocelyn, ed. Cultural Atlas of Africa. Rev. ed. New York: Checkmark Books, 1998.
  HUNT REF-1 G2446 .E6 C8 1998

• Mysteries of the Nile (PBS)
  Explore the Pyramids, temples, and other monumental architecture of ancient Egypt

• Page, Willie F. Encyclopedia of African History and Culture. 3 vols. New York: Facts on File, c2001.
  HUNT REF-1 DT3 .P27 2001

• Peek, Philip M. African Folklore: an Encyclopedia. New York: Routledge, 2004.
  HUNT REF-1 GR350 .A33 2004

• Oliver, Roland and Michael Crowder, eds. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Africa. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1981.
  HUNT REF-1 DT3 .C35 1981

• Oyewole, A. Historical Dictionary of Nigeria. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1987.
  HUNT REF-1 DT515.15 .O94 1987

• Robinson, Francis. Atlas of the Islamic World Since 1500. New York: Facts On File, [c1982]
  HUNT REF-1 DS35.6 .R6 1982

• Rodriguez, Junius P. Chronology of World Slavery. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, 1999.
  HUNT REF-1 HT861 .R63 1999

• Shillington, Kevin. Encyclopedia of African History. 3 vols. New York: Fitzroy Dearborn, 2005.
  HUNT REF-1 DT20 .E53 2005

• St John, Ronald Bruce. Historical Dictionary of Libya. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 1998.
  HUNT REF-1 DT223.3 .S7 1998

• Story of Africa (BBC)

• Vogel, Joseph O., ed. Encyclopedia of Precolonial Africa: Archaeology, History, Languages, Cultures, and Environments. Walnut Creek, Calif.: AltaMira Press, c1997.
  HUNT REF-1 DT2 .E53 1997

• Wonders of the African World (PBS)
  Join Henry Louis Gates, Jr. as he takes you on a journey to discover a wealth of African history and culture in Wonders of the African World. Click on an icon to explore each episode, or explore specific themes.

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Biographical Resources

See also the resources listed at History: Biographical Resources

• De Kock, W. J. Dictionary of South African Biography. Pretoria: Published for the Human Sciences Research Council by Tafelberg-Uitgewers, 1968-.
  HUNT REF-1 CT1924 .D53 1968 1968, 1972, 1977

• Glickman, Harvey. Political Leaders of Contemporary Africa South of the Sahara: a Biographical Dictionary. New York: Greenwood Press, c1992.
  HUNT REF-1 DT352.8 .P63 1992

• Lipschutz, Mark R. and R. Kent Rasmussen. Dictionary of African Historical Biography. Chicago: Aldine Pub. Co., 1978.
  HUNT REF-1 DT352.6 .L56 1978B

• Lipschutz, Mark R. and R. Kent Rasmussen. Dictionary of African Historical Biography. Chicago: Berkeley: University of California Press, c1986. .
  HUNT STACKS-2 DT352.6 1986

• Rake, Alan. Who's Who in Africa: Leaders for the 1990s. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1992.
  HUNT REF-1 DT18 .R35 1992

• Reich, Bernard, ed. Political Leaders of the Contemporary Middle East and North Africa: a Biographical Dictionary. New York: Greenwood Press, 1990
  HUNT REF-1 DS61.5 .P65 1990

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Databases and Indexes

Below are some databases and print indexes that you can use to find books and articles on topics dealing with African history. For a more complete listing of those relevant to History, see History: Databases and Indexes. If you need help in selecting or using a database or index for your research, please contact the Hunt Library reference desk.

• Africa Bibliography. Dover, N.H.: Manchester University Press, c1985-
  HUNT REF-1 Z3503 .A34
  1984-present.

• Historical Abstracts (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  1954-present.
  Search citations and some abstracts of journal articles, books, and dissertations on world history from 1450 to the present. If full text links for journal articles are not provided, click on to see retrieval options.

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Discussion Lists

For additional resources, see History: Discussion Lists.

• Gateway to African Studies on H-Net
  Discussion lists related to African Studies

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Internet Guides

• Africa: History (African Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania)

• African History on the Internet (Karen Fung, Stanford University Libraries)

• History and Cultures of Africa (Columbia University Libraries)

• Virtual Religion Index: Islamic Studies (Mahlon H. Smith)

• WWW-VL History:
  • Congo Free State/Zaire/Congo Democratic Republic
  • Liberia
  • South Africa
  • Sudan

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Journals

Below are major journals in African history. Use Cameo and the Find e-journal list to search for other journal titles in the Carnegie Mellon University Libraries, or use the databases listed above to find journal articles on particular topics. For additional titles, History: Journals.

• Africa: Journal of the International African Institute (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: v. 66, 1996-present.
  Africa: Journal of the International African Institute(Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: Vols. 1-69, 1928-2003.

• Africa Today (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: Vol. 46, 1999-present.

• African Affairs (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: Vols. 99, 2000-present
  African Affairs (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: Vols. 43-98, 1944-1999
  Continues:
  Journal of the Royal African Society (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: Vols. 1-43, 1901-1944.

• African Issues (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: Vols. 28-29, 2000-2004.
  Continues:
  Issue: A Journal of Opinion (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: Vols. 1 - 27, 1971-1999.

• African Languages and Cultures (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: Vols. 1-10, 1988-1997
  Continued by:
  Journal of African Cultural Studies (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: Vols. 11-14, 1998-2003

• African Studies Review (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: Vols. 13-44, 1970-2003.
  Continues:
  African Studies Bulletin (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Vols. 1 - 12, 1958-1969.
  Absorbed:
  ASA Review of Books (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: Vols. 1 - 6, 1975-1980.

• Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: Vols. 10-62, 1940-2001.
  Continues:
  Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies, University of London (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: Vols. 1-10, 1917-1940.

• Canadian Journal of African Studies (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: Vols. 1-33, 1967-2001.
  Continues:
  Bulletin of African Studies in Canada (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: Vols. 1 - 3, 1963-1966.

• International Journal of African Historical Studies (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: Vols. 5-34, 1972-2003.
  Continues:
  African Historical Studies (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: Vols. 1-4, 1968-1971.

• Journal of African Cultural Studies (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: Vols. 11-14, 1998-2003.
  Continues:
  African Languages and Cultures (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: Vols. 1-10, 1988-1997.

• Journal of African History (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: Vols. 38, 1997-present.
  Journal of African History (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: Vols. 1-40, 1960-2001.

• Journal of Modern African Studies (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: Vols. 35-present, 1997-present.
  Journal of Modern African Studies (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: Vols. 1-37, 1963-ca. 2001.

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