General Anthropology Resources
Encyclopedias and Reference
The following links will take you to encyclopedias and reference resources to help you get started on your research. Here you can find general background information, definitions, and history on many anthropological terms and concepts. Searching in an encyclopedia can also help you find a topic for a paper or project.
Online
- The Ashgate Research Companion to AnthropologyThis companion provides an indispensable overview of contemporary and classical issues in social and cultural anthropology. Although anthropology has expanded greatly over time in terms of the diversity of topics in which its practitioners engage, many of the broad themes and topics at the heart of anthropological thought remain perennially vital, such as understanding order and change, diversity and continuity, and conflict and co-operation in the reproduction of social life.
- Biographical Dictionary of AnthropologistsThis biographical dictionary provides information on 322 men and women who have made or are making significant contributions in the field of anthropology. A short biography highlights each persons professional and private background and detailed analysis of the theories or approaches that each contributed to his or her individual field and a guide to their major published works are provided.
- Anthropology Resources for LibrariansBibliography of anthropology resources for librarians, but potentially useful for students as well.
Encyclopedia of Anthropology by 1,000 entries that focus on topics in physical/ biological anthropology, archaeology, cultural/social anthropology, linguistics, and applied anthropology. Also included are relevant articles on geology, paleontology, biology, evolution, sociology, psychology, philosophy, and theology.
Window on Humanity: A Concise Introduction to Anthropology by Call Number: GN25.K68 2016Written by a prominent scholar in the field, Conrad Phillip Kottak, this concise, student-friendly, current introduction to general anthropology carefully balances coverage of core topics and contemporary changes in the field. While maintaining its connection with students through relevant examples, the combination of brevity, readability, and trusted content makes Window on Humanity a perfect match for anthropology courses that use readings or ethnographies along with a main text.
Anthropological Theory: An Introductory History by Call Number: GN33.M33 2012Counter
A comprehensive and accessible survey of the history of theory in anthropology, this anthology of classic and contemporary readings contains in-depth commentary in introductions and notes to help guide students through excerpts of seminal anthropological works. The commentary provides the background information needed to understand each article, its central concepts, and its relationship to the social and historical context in which it was written.
Finding Articles
Use databases to find academic articles to continue your research. Below are the most helpful databases for finding relevant articles for anthropological topics.
- Anthropology Plus This link opens in a new windowIncludes the Anthropological Literature from Harvard University and Anthropological Index, Royal Anthropological Institute from the UK together into one database. Anthropology Plus provides extensive worldwide indexing of journal articles, reports, commentaries, edited works, and obituaries in the fields of social, cultural, physical, biological, and linguistic anthropology, ethnology, archaeology, folklore, material culture, and interdisciplinary studies.
- Academic Search Ultimate This link opens in a new window
Academic Search Ultimate offers an enormous collection of full-text journals, providing users access to critical information from many sources unique to this database. In addition, it includes peer-reviewed full text for STEM research, as well as for the social sciences and humanities. Scholarly content covers a broad range of important areas of academic study, including anthropology, engineering, law, sciences and more.
Good Starting Journals for Anthropology
The following are links to specific academic journals which are published and peer-reviewed by experts in the field. If you want to narrow your search to a specific time period or methodology, finding a journal that publishes in that area can help.
- Current AnthropologyCurrent Anthropology is a transnational journal devoted to research on humankind, encompassing the full range of anthropological scholarship on human cultures and on the human and other primate species.
- American AnthropologistAmerican Anthropologist is the flagship journal of the American Anthropological Association. The journal advances the Association's mission through publishing articles that add to, integrate, synthesize, and interpret anthropological knowledge; commentaries and essays on issues of importance to the discipline; and reviews of books, films, sound recordings, and exhibits.
- Anthropological QuarterlyWhile continuing to publish outstanding, original, data-driven articles that advance ethnography and anthropological theory, AQ also asks intellectuals to contribute to on-going public debates relevant to contemporary experiences and public debates. Topics include: war, racism, poverty, nationalism, globalization, human rights, and the social, legal, and ethical implications of new genetic technologies.
- Anthropological TheoryAnthropological Theory is an international journal seeking to strengthen anthropological theorizing in different areas of the world. This is an exciting forum for new insights into theoretical issues in anthropology and more broadly, social theory.
Search the entire library catalog here.
Materials on Anthropology are found under the "C" subclass on the fourth floor of the library.
| GN1-890 | Anthropology |
|---|---|
| GN62.8-265 | Human variation |
| GN397-397.7 | Applied anthropology |
| GN406-517 | Cultural traits, customs, and institutions |
| GN537-674 | Ethnic groups and races |
Featured Books
Looking for an interesting research topic? Currently, the featured books section holds some of the newest additions to the library's collection of research-worthy anthropology texts.
Hard Evidence: Case Studies in Forensic Anthropology by Call Number: GN69.8 .H37 2009An essential supplement to a forensic anthropology text, this reader provides case studies that demonstrate innovative approaches and practical experiences in the field. The book provides both introductory and advanced students with a strong sense of the cases that forensic anthropologists become involved, along with their professional and ethical responsibilities, the scientific rigor required, and the multidisciplinary nature of the science.
"I Love Learning; I Hate School": An Anthropology of College by Call Number: New Books LB1065.B56 2016Frustrated by her students' performance, her relationships with them, and her own daughter's problems in school, Susan D. Blum, a professor of anthropology, set out to understand why her students found their educational experience at a top-tier institution so profoundly difficult and unsatisfying. Through her research and in conversations with her students, she discovered a troubling mismatch between the goals of the university and the needs of students.
Gender and Difference in a Globalizing World: Twenty-First Century Anthropology by Call Number: GN25 M37 2010Francis E. Mascia-Lees' ability to synthesize complex ideas rewards readers with a text that clearly conceptualizes how differences of gender, race, class, and sexuality structure today's globalizing world. It exposes the strengths and weaknesses of different theoretical orientations used in anthropology to study gender, difference, power, and inequality including feminist anthropology; black feminist anthropology; lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgendered theory; practice, postcolonial, symbolic, and psychological anthropology; as well as social evolutionism, sociobiology, and evolutionary psychology, among others.
Medical Anthropology: A Biocultural Approach by Call Number: GN296.W55 2017For each health issue examined in the text, the authors first present basic biological information and then expand their analysis to include evolutionary, historical, and cross-cultural perspectives on how these issues emerged and are understood. Medical Anthropology considers how a biocultural approach can be applied to more effective prevention and treatment efforts and underscores medical anthropology's potential to improve health around the world.
Climate Change, Culture, and Economics: Anthropological Investigations by Call Number: GN448.R47It is becoming increasingly difficult to deny that human activity is a factor in global climate change. This special volume of REA facilitates readers to better understand the ways in which people around the world have adapted (or failed to adapt) culturally to changing economic conditions caused by climate change. It focuses on specific situations in particular locations, showcasing (and confirming) the strength and value of intensive ethnographic or archaeological "investigation.
