Anthropology

"Anthropology defines itself as a discipline of infinite curiosity of about human beings." ¹ In essence it is the study of humans and mankind's evolving social systems. A society's language, religion, folk beliefs, medicine, legends, dance, food, and marriage rituals can all fit under this discipline.

Anthropology has many different sub-fields that can be located under set Library of Congress Subject Headings in our collection. You can also use these sub-fields as topics for subject searches in our on-line catalog.

Anthropology Print Resources

Dictionaries

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. - This single book contains short descriptions of archaeological terms and biographical sketches of archaeologists as well as historic figures. It includes bibliographic references. [REF CC70 .D37 2002]

The Dictionary of Anthropology. Malden: Blackwell, 1997. - This dictionary is a single volume that provides definitions, short biographies and articles on theories. The monograph includes bibliographical references. [REF GN307.D485]

Encyclopedic Dictionary of Archaeology. New York: Academic/Plenum, 2000. - This single book includes short descriptions of archaeological terms and biographical sketches of important individuals with in this field of study. It does contain bibliographic references. [REF CC70 .K56 2000]

Larousse Dictionary of World Folklore. Edinburgh : Larousse, 1995. - Single book dealing with folk beliefs from a wide array of cultures. [REF GR35 .J664 1995]

Encyclopedias

Encyclopedia of Archaeology : History and Discoveries. 3 vols. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2001. - 3 book set of encyclopedias that contain articles detailing the history, individuals and discovers in archaeology all over the world. The resource includes maps, illustrations, bibliographic references and an index. [REF CC100 .E54 2001]

Encyclopedia of Cultural Anthropology. 4 vols. New York: Henry Holt and Co., 1996. - This is a set of four encyclopedias that discusses the different theories of cultural anthropology and the major sub-topics of this science. The resource also has articles detailing the different regional areas of study. It includes illustrations, bibliographical references and an index. [REF GN307.E52]

Encyclopedia of World Cultures. 10 vols. Boston: G.K. Hall, c1991. - The 10 volume set looks at ethnic cultures both large and small from around the world. The books are divided up by regions. It includes maps, bibliographic references and an index. [REF GN307.E53]

The Greenwood Encyclopedia of World Folklore and Folklife. 4 vols. Westport: Greenwood Press, 2006. - Four volume set of encyclopedias containing articles dealing with cultures from a specific geographic area. Each volume looks at one to two continents. It includes illustrations, maps, bibliographic references, and an index. [REF GR35 .G75 2006]

Journals

American Anthropologist. - This publication is produced by the American Anthropological Association. The serial is not regional but covers the discipline from an international perspective. It is illustrated and primarily consentrates on research. [PER GN1 .A5]

Anthropological Quarterly. - The periodical covers a wide range of anthropological fields except archaeology. It contains illustrations and other graphics. [PER GN1 .P952]

Folklore. - Peer-reviewed international journal that is published three times a year. The periodical is illustrated and articles contain both notes as well as references cited. [PER GR1.F5]

The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute. - This serial is published by the British Royal Anthropological Institute. It has book reviews and articles about issues in world anthropology. [PER GN1 .M252]

World Archaeology. - This periodical comes out quarterly and is illustrated. It is produced by Routeledge and the issues are usually themed to one geographical region or period. The last issue of the quarter is dedicated to academic debate about archaeology. [PER CC1 .W6]

Anthropology Electronic Resources

Databases

Anthropological Index - This resource offers electronic access to abstracts of anthropological articles going back to 1957. The database is produced by the Anthropology Library of the British Museum. It contains no full text resources.

AnthroSource - This database provides abstracts to over 30 different journals of the American Anthropology Association. It does not offer full text.

JSTOR - JSTOR is a electronic resource that provides access to full image articles in anthropology as well as a number of other subjects. The database contains only back issues that have been digitized.

Social Sciences Full Text - This full text database featuring a wide array of social science journals. It also includes abstracts.

Websites

Anthropology Biography Web - The website offers short biographical sketches of anthropologists from around the world. The site was put together by Minnesota State University.

Anthropology News at Science Daily - This internet resource carries up to date news from the world of anthropology from Science Daily.

Anthropology Tutorials - Site created and maintained by Dr. Dennis O'Neil of the Behavioral Sciences Department at Palomar College in San Marcos, California. It contains tutorials for biological and cultural anthropology.

Internet Public Library: Anthropology - The electronic resource contains links to other internet anthropology resources put together by the University of Michigan's School of Information as well as other Library and Information Schools.

1. Ember, Carol R. and Melvin Ember. Cultural Anthropology. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1993.