Research Guides: AAAS 155: Hip-Hop History and Culture: Home

Library Liaison for African and Afro-American Studies

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Contact:

lhibbler@brandeis.edu

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Subjects: African and African American Studies, Asian Studies and Asian American and Pacific Islander Studies, History

Welcome!

Welcome! This guide includes research tips and suggested resources for locating primary and secondary source materials.

Please do not hesitate to contact me with questions at any point during the research process!

Gather background information

St. James Encyclopedia of Hip Hop Culture
Examines the history and contributions of hip hop to American and global culture, including the music, dance, and visual arts that are its artistic expressions. Entries also examine hip hop’s influence in other arenas such as fashion, film, and poetry; its impact on education, politics, social activism, racial and ethnic identity, and globalization; and its many contributions to American, urban, black, and Latino cultures.

Reference Sources for Music

Reference sources, such as dictionaries and encyclopedias, can be useful for refining your topic and coming up with keywords. Some of entries will contain bibliographies which you can use to locate key books and articles on your topic.

Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Oxford Reference)
The most comprehensive reference work devoted exclusively to popular music, Colin Larkin's landmark Encyclopedia of Popular Music is the authoritative biographical encyclopedia of rock, pop, & jazz artists, covering popular music from 1900 to the present. Example entry for Hip Hop

Grove Music Online (Oxford Music Online) This link opens in a new window
Comprehensive compendium of music scholarship offering the full texts of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, The Norton Grove Dictionary of Women Composers, and the in-process content of The Grove Encyclopedia of American Music and The Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments. Includes signed articles and biographies contributed by scholars from around the world, with numerous subsequent updates and emendations.

Encyclopedias for African American Studies

A Companion to African American History by Alton Hornsby (Editor); Gretchen Adams (Contribution by); Tunde Adekele (Contribution by); Delores P. Aldridge (Contribution by)
Call Number: Ebook
ISBN: 9780631230663
Publication Date: 2005
Collection of original and authoritative essays arranged thematically and topically, covering a wide range of subjects from the seventeenth century to the present day.
Encyclopedia of African American History
Call Number: Ebook
ISBN: 9780028658162
Publication Date: 2005
Traces the transition from the Reconstruction Era to the age of Jim Crow, the Harlem Renaissance, the Civil Rights Movement, and the ascendant influence of African Americans on the American cultural landscape.
Encyclopedia of African-American Heritage by Susan Altman
Call Number: Main Library Stack + E185 .A455 2000
ISBN: 0816041253
Publication Date: 2000
Encyclopedia of Black Studies by Molefi Kete Asante (Editor); Ama Mazama (Editor)
Call Number: Ebook
ISBN: 076192762X
Publication Date: 2004