Research Resources for Anthropology

Find books

You can find more than books in the catalogs below. You can also find out which journals a library subscribes to, and lists of videos, music, etc.

Wellesley College Library catalog

For books and materials not available at Wellesley, check WorldCat^WC via FirstSearch

Harvard University Catalog Tozzer Library at Harvard is the publisher of Anthropological Literature, below, and has the premier collection in this country. Look for location "Tozzer" or use the "modify search" button to limit to Tozzer. Non-Harvard affiliates, i.e. Wellesley students and faculty, can use the library free for up to 6 days a year.

Find background information

Atlas of world cultures: a geographical guide to ethnographic literature (Clapp Ref G1046.E1 P7 1989). Published in cooperation with the Human Relations Area Files, this atlas provides 40 maps that link you to 2 key ethnographic works for every cultural group, as well as each group's HRAF number.

Encyclopedia of cultural anthropology (Clapp Ref GN307 .E52 1996), 4 volumes. Features in-depth essays (2-10 pages) ranging from the specific ("Bride-price") to the general ("Technology and Culture"). Bibliographies.

Encyclopedia of world cultures (Clapp Ref GN307 .E53 1991), 10 volumes. Written by anthropologists and social scientists who worked among the societies they describe. Volumes for each continent detail the physical location, demography, linguistic affiliation, history, settlements, economy, kinship, marriage and family, sociopolitical organization, religion and expressive culture of 1500 cultural groups across the globe. Based on the Human Relations Area Files.

Human Relations Area Files (Clapp stacks GN643.H8). Clapp has several dozen volumes of the original studies. HRAF, centered at Yale, is an international research organization devoted to facilitating worldwide comparative study of culture, society and human behavior. The full set of HRAF are available at BU on over 20,000 microfiche cards, and online at the Tozzer Library at Harvard. Wellesley students and faculty can use Tozzer free for up to 6 days a year.

Introduction to Library Research in Anthropology (Clapp Ref Z5111.W44 1998). 2nd edition.

Find articles and essays

America: History and Life,^WC 1964+ (US & Canadian history, archaeology & anthropology)
Historical Abstracts,^WC 1954+ (world history, archaeology & anthropology, except US/Canada)

Annual Review of Anthropology, 1972+ (Clapp GN1 .A623). Also available online through the JSTOR project, from 1972 through 1997.

Anthropological Literature, 1979+ (Clapp Ref Z5112.A5). An index to periodical articles and essays in anthropology (1984-88 is on microfiche).

Ethnic NewsWatch^WC 1991+ Full-text newspaper articles from ethnic, minority & native presses.

Social Sciences Full Text ^WC Find references to articles from 1983+. Get full text from1995+.

Sociological Abstracts ^WC (via Cambridge Scientific Abstracts) 1963+. Citations from an international selection of sociological journals, serials, conference papers, books, and dissertations. Some full-text articles.

Web of Science ^WC is very useful in performing interdisciplinary subject searches. This database searches the Social Science Citation Index and Science Citation Index Expanded from 2001+.

Other databases may be useful for you, depending on your specific topic and approach. AskUs for some customized suggestions.

Internet links

General

American Anthropological Association's links to resources include the basics, plus funding opportunities, libraries, and fields such as applied and visual anthropology.

Anthro.Net An award-winning search engine dedicated to anthropology and related social sciences, based at UC Santa Barbara. Check out their glossary of archaeology, cultural and physical anthropology, Anthromorphemics.

Anthropological Index Online, published by the Royal Anthropological Institute (RAI) in London, cites articles in more than 750 journals RAI'S Department of Ethnography has received since 1984.

Anthropology Biography Web, developed by anthropology students at Minnesota State University, Mankato as a part of their EMuseum. Brief descriptions of anthropologists and other scientists who have directly influenced the discipline.

Anthropology Resources on the Internet This list, maintained by Bernard-Olivier Clist, is a solid metasite, with connections to other scholars around the world, archaeology and cultural anthro sites, discussion lists, and glossaries of terms.

AnthroTech WWW Virtual Library Another gateway site. Well-organized, with "top 5 percent" ratings awarded to worthy sites.

National Anthropological Archives and Human Studies Film Archives The key to artifacts that you can study at the Smithsonian Institution, in Washington, DC. There are also links to other archives and resources.

Cultural

Many of the indigenous peoples whom anthropologists study are working toward self-determination and participation in the international community. The Fourth World Documentation Project, part of the work of the Center for World Indigenous Studies, provides access to documents, treaties, and reports produced by these groups as well as current information about their activities and projects.

Native American Sites organizes access to dozens of home pages, mostly on native activities in the United States.

Physical

ArchNet, from Arizona State University and the Archaeological Research Institute, contains archaeological and historical data on Native American groups of New England. Search by geographical group.

Center for Materials Research in Archaeology and Ethnology The Center is located at MIT and Wellesley undergrads can participate in the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program.

Social

Even though it lacks graphics, the Primate Info Network is a rich resource for students of the nonhuman primates. The site consists of research reports, reference sources (including an e-mail reference line), bibliographies, and links to groups and organizations.

Contact the departmental Library liaison

For help with your research, or to schedule a library research session for your class, contact Megan Adams, library research liaison to Anthropology.

To discuss acquiring particular resources, contact Graham Henderson , library collections liaison to Anthropology.

The staff members above work together to support the needs of this program.

Related Wellesley/MIT pages

Wellesley Anthropology Department

MIT Anthropology Program

WCL Research Resources for Latin American Studies

WCL Research Resources for Religion

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• Megan Adams
• Wellesley College Library
• Date created: 5 February 2001
• Date Modified: 7 June, 2006
• Expires: 31 January 2004