Biographies -- Selected Authors
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
- Ethnography (Understanding Qualitative Research) Ethnography familiarizes readers with ethnographic research and writing traditions through detailed discussions of ethnography's history, exploratory design, representational conventions, and standards of evaluation.Responding to the proliferation of ethnography both within and outside of academia, in this book, Anthony Kwame Harrison grounds ethnographic practices within the anthropological principles of cultural awareness, thick description, and embodied understanding. At the same time, the book introducesnew frameworks for grasping ethnography's simultaneous strategic and improvisational imperatives, as well as for appreciating its experimental conventions of social science and humanistic research reporting. Central to this process, Ethnography introduces the concept of ethnographiccomportment-defined as an historically informed politics of position that impacts ethnographers' conduct and disposition-which serves as a standard for gauging and engaging ethnography throughout the text.Part research primer, writing guide, and assessment handbook, Ethnography provides readers with a comprehensive introduction to one of the richest and most expansive traditions of qualitative research.
- The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology Named a Best Reference Work for 2009 by Library Journal The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology is published in both print and online. Arranged across eleven volumes in A-Z format, it is the definitive reference source for students, researchers, and academics in the field. This ground-breaking project brings together specially commissioned entries written and edited by an international team of the world's best scholars and teachers. It provides: "This is an example of a reference book turned into an e-product intelligently and in a way that transcends the print." - Library Journal An essential reference for expert and newcomer alike, with entries ranging from short definitions of key terms to extended explorations of major topics Provides clear, concise, expert definitions and explanations of the key concepts Presents materials that have historically defined the discipline, but also more recent developments, significantly updating the store of sociological knowledge Introduces sociological theories and research that have developed outside of the United States and Western Europe Offers sophisticated cross-referencing and search facilities Features a timeline, lexicon by subject area, bibliography, and index 11 Volumes www.sociologyencyclopedia.com Updating
- A Companion to African American History A Companion to African American History is a collection oforiginal and authoritative essays arranged thematically andtopically, covering a wide range of subjects from the seventeenthcentury to the present day. Analyzes the major sources and the most influential books andarticles in the field Includes discussions of globalization, region, migration,gender, class and social forces that make up the broad culturalfabric of African American history
Literature Guides
- Browse or search Cambridge Companions to Literature Cambridge Companions provide essays on major authors, periods and genres, written by experts and designed for student readers.
- The Columbia Guide to Contemporary African American Fiction by From Ishmael Reed and Toni Morrison to Colson Whitehead and Terry McMillan, Darryl Dickson-Carr offers a definitive guide to contemporary African American literature. This volume-the only reference work devoted exclusively to African American fiction of the last thirty-five years-presents a wealth of factual and interpretive information about the major authors, texts, movements, and ideas that have shaped contemporary African American fiction. In more than 160 concise entries, arranged alphabetically, Dickson-Carr discusses the careers, works, and critical receptions of Alice Walker, Gloria Naylor, Jamaica Kincaid, Charles Johnson, John Edgar Wideman, Leon Forrest, as well as other prominent and lesser-known authors. Each entry presents ways of reading the author's works, identifies key themes and influences, assesses the writer's overarching significance, and includes sources for further research. Dickson-Carr addresses the influence of a variety of literary movements, critical theories, and publishers of African American work. Topics discussed include the Black Arts Movement, African American postmodernism, feminism, and the influence of hip-hop, the blues, and jazz on African American novelists. In tracing these developments, Dickson-Carr examines the multitude of ways authors have portrayed the diverse experiences of African Americans. The Columbia Guide to Contemporary African American Fiction situates African American fiction in the social, political, and cultural contexts of post-Civil Rights era America: the drug epidemics of the 1980s and 1990s and the concomitant "war on drugs," the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement, the struggle for gay rights, feminism, the rise of HIV/AIDS, and racism's continuing effects on African American communities. Dickson-Carr also discusses the debates and controversies regarding the role of literature in African American life. The volume concludes with an extensive annotated bibliography of African American fiction and criticism.
Librarian
Literary Biography
- Contemporary Authors This link opens in a new windowA bio-bibliographical guide to current writers in fiction, general nonfiction, poetry, journalism, drama, motion pictures, television, and other fields.
- Gale in Context: Biography This link opens in a new window
Biography In Context offers biographical information about historically significant figures as well as present-day newsmakers. It includes reference content alongside magazine and journal articles, primary sources, videos, audio podcasts, and images.
- American National Biography Online This link opens in a new windowBiographical dictionary of notable deceased Americans from all eras of American history. Includes illustrations and links to other web resources.
- Literature Online This link opens in a new window
LION includes texts, criticism, and reference material, including thousands of literary articles, essays, biographies and encyclopedia entries on over 350,000 works of poetry, prose, and drama from the 8th to the 21st century.
- A Celebration of Women Writers : African American Writers The Celebration of Women Writers recognizes the contributions of women writers throughout history. Our goal is to promote awareness of the breadth and variety of women's writing. The Celebration provides a comprehensive listing of links to biographical and bibliographical information about women writers, and complete published books written by women. A compilation of web sites by the University of Pennsylvania Libraries.
