UVM Libraries Research Guides: English & American Literature : African American Literature: Starting Points: Background Info

Historical, Social, & Cultural Contexts

Oxford African American Studies Center This link opens in a new window
Portal to full-text information (biographies, encyclopedias, companions, primary sources), images and maps about African Americans, African American life and culture, and Africa and the diaspora. This resource has over 600 subject entries on literature- and language-related topics.

Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History
Covers all aspects of the African-American experience from 1619 to the present day, through biographies, historical essays, and thematic pieces.
Encyclopedia of Race and Racism
Examines the anthropological, sociological, historical, economic, and scientific theories of race and racism in the modem era. Delves into the historic origins of ideas of race and racism and explores their social and scientific consequences. Includes biographies of significant theorists, as well as political and social leaders.

Encyclopedia of Racism in the United States
Call Number: REF E 184 .A1 E773 2005 (3 vols)
Covers U.S. racism against minority groups and their experiences with the dominant culture - from Colonial times to the present day. Essay entries present key terms, organizations, movements, incidents, texts, individuals, legislation, theories, etc.

Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America
Contains essays on specific minority and ethnic groups in the U.S., with an emphasis on culture (religions, holidays, customs, cuisine, language) in addition to information on historical background and settlement patterns.
Encyclopedia of American Studies
Published by Johns Hopkins University Press for the American Studies Association (ASA), this title 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.
Oxford Companion to United States History
This source is comprised of 1,400+ scholarly entries providing a succinct but thorough overview of America's political, diplomatic, and military history, as well as social, cultural, and intellectual trends; science, technology, and medicine; the arts; and religion.
American Decades
Cross-disciplinary source that presents a decade by decade (1900-1999) overview of U.S. social history through the lens of several categories (e.g., politics, arts, fashion, sports, media, religion, social trends, etc.).
American Decades 2000-2009
Cross-disciplinary source that presents a decade by decade (2000-2009) overview of U.S. social history through the lens of several categories (e.g., politics, arts, fashion, sports, media, religion, social trends, etc.).
Encyclopedia of Religion in America
Explains the origins, development, adaptation, influence, and interrelations of the many faiths practiced, including major world religions, new religious sects, cults, etc. that originated or had an influence in the U.S. NOTE:On the next screen, choose the "SAGE" option.
In this encyclopedia see entries on: African American Baptists, African American Methodists, African American Music, African American Pentecostals, African American Religion: Colonial Era through the Civil War, African American Religion: From the Civil War to Civil Rights, African American Religion: Post–Civil Rights Era, African American Religious Thought, African American Roman Catholics.

Oxford Handbook of African American Language
Call Number: REF PE 3102 .N42 O94 2015
Juba to Jive: a dictionary of African-American slang A collection of terms, from the late 19th century to the 1990s from various geographical locations, as well as definitions of words, phrases, and expressions, with many examples in context; approximate date of each term's arrival into the language; modifications of meanings as the terms entered the mainstream; cross-references to similar terms; linguistic roots, from onomatopoetic sources to rhyming jargon.
Call Number: REF PE 3727 .N4 M34 1994
A State-By-State History of Race and Racism in the United States
Call Number: REF E 185.61 .S7937 2019 (2 vols) [Reference Collection (non-circulating), 1st floor]
Provides chronologies of important events, historical narratives from the first settlement to the present, and biographies of major figures, from the perspective of individual states and the District of Columbia.
Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance
Call Number: REF PS 153 .N5 A24 2003 [Reference Collection (non-circulating), 1st floor]
The Cambridge Companion to the Harlem Renaissance With chapters by a wide range of well-known scholars, this Companion is an authoritative to the movement. It first discusses the historical contexts of the Harlem Renaissance, both national and international; then presents original discussions of a wide array of authors and texts; and finally treats the reputation of the movement in later years.
Call Number: PS 153 .N5 C345 2007 (3rd floor)
Cambridge Companion to African American Theatre Provides a comprehensive overview of African American theatre, from the early nineteenth century to the present day. Chronicles the evolution of African American theatre and spotlights the producers, directors, playwrights and actors whose efforts helped to fashion a more accurate appearance of black life on stage.
Call Number: PN 2270 .A35 C36 2013 (3rd floor)
Blacks in Blackface : a sourcebook on early black musical shows /
Call Number: REF ML 1711 .S25 2014 (2 vols) [Reference Collection (non-circulating), 1st floor]
Covers all aspects of all-African American musical comedies performed on the stage between 1900 and 1940.
The Harvard Guide to African-American History This guide covers research into every aspect of African-American life and work. The first part of the Guide contains 12 essays on historical research aids, from traditional archival and reference materials to the Internet. The second part presents comprehensive and chronological bibliographies. The third part contains listings of resources on the special subjects of women; geographical areas; and autobiography and biography.
Call Number: REF E 185 .H326 2001 [Reference Collection (non-circulating), 1st floor]