Libraries Ask Us

Anthropology

Guide for Library Research in Anthropology

Language Revival & Cultural Politics

This page leads to library resources helpful for research in language, sociolinguistics, and anthropology. Below are:

some of the most relevant databases of scholarly journal articles (usually the best sources for research papers)
electronic and print reference sources useful for background information on your research topic
circulating books
websites

To the left, my contact information. Please let me know if I can help further with your research.

Databases for scholarly journal articles

If full-text isn't provided, click the red UMLinks button in the citation to check for other options.

Anthropology Plus This link opens in a new window
The scholarly literature of archeology and anthropology (biological, physical, linguistic, social and cultural) in several languages, late 1800s to present.
Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.
Academic Search Premier This link opens in a new window
Scholarly journals from all academic disciplines - an excellent starting point for multidisciplinary research projects. 3,200 full-text journals. Coverage from 1975 to present.
Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.
eHRAF World Cultures This link opens in a new window
Thousands of ethnographies originally published as articles, books and dissertations. Its indexing traces social features across cultures, 1983-present.
Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.
Linguistics Abstracts This link opens in a new window
Citations and abstracts for articles in the scholarly journals of linguistics, 1985-present.
Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.
Sociological Abstracts This link opens in a new window
References to scholarly journal articles, dissertations, and conference papers on sociology and related disciplines, 1960-present.
Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.
Education Database This link opens in a new window
Articles from 550 journals in the field of primary, secondary and higher education, 1988-present.
Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.
ERIC This link opens in a new window
Education journal articles (EJ references) and ERIC documents (ED references), 1967-present. EDs before 1997 are requestable using the Microforms Request page and usable in the Microforms Vewing Room in the LC.
A free version of ERIC is available for all to use at this link: https://eric.ed.gov/.
Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.
PubMed This link opens in a new window
National Library of Medicine's comprehensive database of citations to medical journal articles, with links to UMass-subscribed full text, 1946-present. PubMed includes all MEDLINE content, plus content from additional journals and books in the life sciences.
Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.
Web of Science This link opens in a new window
Index to articles from peer-reviewed journals in all disciplines.Search by cited reference, topic, author, and more. Arts and Humanities covers 1975-present; Social Sciences 1900-present; and Science 1900-present.
Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.

Encyclopedias and Dictionaries online

Britannica Online

The classic general encyclopedia, a good starting point for all kinds of research. Includes a thesaurus and links to BBC and NYT for current news
Chambers Dictionary of World History
Dictionary of Contemporary History 1945 to the Present
Dictionary of Languages
Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics
Europa World Yearbook

A very useful encyclopedia and directory of the world's countries. Substantive coverage of government, demographics, history, and much more. Current.
International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences

Articles, with bibliographies, from experts on all aspects of the social sciences.
Entries from over 100 Oxford University Press subject and language dictionaries, guides, and concise companions.

Reference Books

These are located by call number in the Reference collection, west side of the Lower Level of W.E.B. Du Bois Library.Companion Encyclopedia of Anthropology: Humanity, Culture and Social Life Ref. GN 25 .C65 1994

The Dictionary of Anthropology Ref. GN 307 .D485 199

Dictionary of Languages. Ref. P 29 .D35 1998.

Short descriptions of more than 400 major languages.

The Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics. 10 volumes. 1994. Ref. P 29 .E48 1994.

References to articles that relate specifically to linguistics from an anthropological view can be found in the index in volume 10 under "Anthropology and Language."

An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Language and Languages. Ref. P 29 .C68 1992.

International Encyclopedia of Linguistics. 4 volumes. Ref. P 29 .I58 1992.
Ethnologue 12th ed. Ref. P371 .E83 and Ethnologue Index. 1992. Ref. P 371 .E832. Listing of all languages of the world. The basic volume is arranged by continent and then country. The index gives all identified variant names. Brief information on each language. Current edition on the Internet here

Writing Tools

Plagiarism
Attribute honorably!
Plagiarism Prevention Service
Assess authorship and originality.
Writing Center
Get help with writing in the Learning Commons.

Books

In the Library Catalog, try a "Subject begins with..." search for any of the phrases below.

Also try "Subject keyword" searches for specific languages, eg. "gaelic language"

Books in Du Bois Library are located according to this chart. If not available at UMass, books from Amherst, Hampshire, Mt. Holyoke and Smith College libraries can be requested using the Request Item link in the upper right corner of the book record.

Websites

Scholarly Associations

World Council of Anthropological Associations
WCAA Member Societies

American Anthrological Association
AAA Sections and Interest Groups
AAA Style Guide

American Association of Physical Anthropologists

UMass Amherst Anthropology Links

UMass Amherst Department of Anthropology
Mega-memo
Graduate Handbook
Guide to Undergraduate Studies