Blough-Weis Library: History Research Guide: Africa

Overviews & Major Sources

Encyclopedias

This is the best place to start when you need detailed background information on a specific topic before you begin research in broader databases and search engines.

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African History This link opens in a new window
The Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African History seeks to cover the entire range and sweep of African history, from the earliest stone tool–using hominids to the most recent religious movements, or from new interpretations of the Mau Mau movement in Kenya to recent reconsideration of the Rwanda genocide and its aftermath.
Britannica Online Academic Edition This link opens in a new window

General History Databases

These databases include journal articles and book chapters across a wide range of historical periods and geographic locations.

Historical Abstracts This link opens in a new window
Search here for topics with a historical aspect (excluding American and Canadian history).
1971-present
Citations/abstracts to articles in scholarly journals, books, and dissertations covering world history and culture from 1450 to the present (does not include U.S. and Canadian history)
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
JSTOR offers researchers the ability to retrieve high-resolution, scanned images of journal issues and pages as they were originally designed, printed, and illustrated. The journals archived in JSTOR span many disciplines. JSTOR is not a current issues database. Because of JSTOR's archival mission, there is a gap, typically from 1 to 5 years, between the most recently published journal issue and the back issues available in JSTOR.

Secondary Sources

The websites and databases in this list primarily contain scholarly articles and monographs on African topics. They are not limited to African history; in fact, many of them are focused on journals and scholarship produced in Africa, as opposed to works solely about Africa.

Africa.Bib
This database was created from the merger of the the Quarterly Index of African Periodical Literature (1991-2011) and the AfricaBib Africana Periodical Literature database (1974- ). Its principal focus is the social sciences, although it contains citations across multiple disciplines.
African e-Journals Project
You can search this archive of African-published e-journals to find full text or browse through the list of e-journals titles.
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The African e-Journals Project makes journals published in Africa and about Africa more available to scholars worldwide.

The project offers two major resources. First, a directory of journals about Africa provides information about where to find tables of contents and abstracts, full text of articles online, and journal webpages, where they are available.

Second, a full-text archive is provided of back issues of 11 scholarly journals published in Africa in the social sciences and humanities.
Connecting Africa
"Connecting-Africa is a gateway to African research information and materials produced worldwide. It provides access to [thousands] of publications from [nearly 100] repositories as well as information on Africa experts (researchers, policymakers, development practioners) and organisations (research or development-related institutes with expertise on Africa)."
African Journal Archive
The African Journal Archive is a retrospective open access journal service that preserves and makes available African journal literature dating as far back as 1906, originating from a wide base of publishers and societies on the African continent. Note that some journals in this collection are only partially open-access, and will have a "No Access" label attached to them. To view available content, click on the journal, then select "OA African Journal" from the menu bar at the top of the journal description. This will display the list of issues and articles which are available open-access.

Primary Sources

These are databases of primary sources specifically intended for undergraduate use and research.

JSTOR World Heritage Sites: Africa This link opens in a new window
World Heritage Sites: Africa links visual, contextual, and spatial documentation of African heritage sites. The materials in World Heritage Sites: Africa serve researchers in African studies, anthropology, archaeology, architecture, art history, Diaspora studies, folklore and literature, geography, and history, as well as those focused on geomatics, advanced visual and spatial technologies, historic preservation, and urban planning. The collection is also a tool for museums, libraries, NGOs, and government organizations that manage or oversee cultural heritage sites, as well as for experts and professionals engaged in the conservation and management of such sites.
JSTOR Struggles for Freedom: Southern Africa This link opens in a new window
The liberation of Southern Africa and the dismantling of the Apartheid regime was one of the major political developments of the 20th century, with far-reaching consequences for people throughout Africa and around the globe. This collection focuses on the complex and varied liberation struggles in the region, with an emphasis on Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. It brings together materials from various archives and libraries throughout the world documenting colonial rule, dispersion of exiles, international intervention, and the worldwide networks that supported successive generations of resistance within the region.
Adam Matthew Collection List This link opens in a new window
Access millions of pages of primary source collections across the entire portfolio of Adam Matthew Digital, spanning content from the 15th-21st centuries.
Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture & Law This link opens in a new window
This HeinOnline collection brings together a multitude of essential legal materials on slavery in the United States and the English-speaking world. This includes every statute passed by every colony and state on slavery, every federal statute dealing with slavery, and all reported state and federal cases on slavery.

These links go to a variety of sites which have primary sources relating to the history of Africa available.

16th-20th Century Maps of Africa
This site features digital copies of 113 antique maps of Africa and accompanying text dating from the mid 16th Century to the early 20th Century.
Africa Focus: Sights and Sounds of a Continent
Searchable collection of 3000 slides, 500 photographs, and 50 hours of sounds from forty-five different countries.
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Africa Focus brings together, in digital form, two categories of primary and secondary resources: research and teaching materials collected by University of Wisconsin faculty and staff; and unique or valuable items related to these fields held by the University of Wisconsin Libraries. This collection contains more than 3000 slides, 500 photographs, and 50 hours of sounds from forty-five different countries. It is hoped that the search features of the collection will be a convenient aid to scholarship, study, and teaching of these disciplines
African Online Digital Library
The African Online Digital Library (AODL) is a portal to multimedia collections about Africa.
African Studies Collection
The African Studies Collection brings together primary and secondary resources; research and teaching materials created by University of Wisconsin faculty and staff; and unique or valuable items related to this field held by the University of Wisconsin Libraries.
Afriterra
Searchable database of more than 2000 maps and images focused on Africa.
The Atlantic Slave Trade and Slave Life in the Americas: A Visual Record
Searchable collection of 1,280 images, most of them dating from the period of slavery.
Images of Colonialism
Late-19th and early-20th century trade cards and illustrated European newspapers, this collection of more than 700 images offers insight into European perspectives on varying aspects of colonial experience by documenting how popular perceptions of Asia and Africa were created and disseminated.
World Digital Library
The World Digital Library (WDL) makes available on the Internet, free of charge and in multilingual format, significant primary materials from countries and cultures around the world.
Internet African History Sourcebook
Voyages: Transatlantic Slave Trade Database
Documents over 35,000 slaving voyages.
World Directory of Minorities & Indigenous Peoples
Describes minority populations organized by country or region and focusing on topics such as gender, education reform, economic development, land/property rights and prevention of conflict/genocide, together with the key area of public participation.
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At the core of the online directory are some 220 of the world’s countries, including dependent territories, and about 700 minorities/indigenous peoples. It also includes an integral database of organisations concerned with minorities (totalling several thousands), and relevant publications and websites (several thousands).

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History Research Guide: Africa

Overviews & Major Sources

Encyclopedias

General History Databases

Secondary Sources

Primary Sources

These links go to a variety of sites which have primary sources relating to the history of Africa available.

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