Research Guides: SOC 131b: Writing Activists' Lives: Biographical Sources

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Subjects: Anthropology, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Latin American, Caribbean and Latinx Studies, Sociology, Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Biographical Portraits and Essays

The databases below are a good source of biographical portraits and essays. These essays may be quite brief or more extensive. Some of the databases include other types of material as well, such as primary source documents or articles that are not biographical in nature.

Biography in Context This link opens in a new window
Biographical information on people from throughout history, around the world, and across all disciplines and subject areas. Many of the entries contain bibliographies and further reading lists.
African American Experience: the American Mosaic This link opens in a new window
Encompasses the myriad contributions of individuals from the African American community who achieved prominence in the arts, entertainment, the sciences, business, the military, and politics as well as countless others who endured the travails of slavery and institutionalized discrimination. Through primary sources and the lens of prominent scholars, this database gives voice to the African American experience from its African origins to the present day.
American Women Writers: A Critical Reference Guide from Colonial Times to the Present This link opens in a new window
Covers the best-known American women writers spanning from colonial days to the present, including biography, criticism, and bibliography for each.
Benezit Dictionary of Artists This link opens in a new window
Comprehensive source of artists’ biographies in the English language, long a standard reference work in France. Particularly known for its coverage of nineteenth-century and East Asian artists, historic auction prices, and images of artists’ signatures and monograms.

Encyclopedia of Activism and Social Justice by Gary Anderson (Editor); Kathryn G. Herr (Editor)
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 9781412918121
Publication Date: 2007
Designed for readers to understand the topics, concepts, and ideas that motivate and shape the fields of activism, civil engagement, and social justice. Includes biographies of the major thinkers and leaders who have influenced the study of activism.

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.
Literature Resource Center (Gale) This link opens in a new window
Literature Resource Center offers up-to-date biographical information, overviews, full-text literary criticism, and reviews on more writers in all disciplines, from all time periods and from around the world. Its materials support interdisciplinary approaches, information literacy, and the development of critical thinking skills.

Brandeis Library OneSearch

Search Tip: Finding Biographies and Memoirs in OneSearch

In OneSearch, search for books by either Keywords or Subject Headings. Start with a Keyword search and identify some relevant books. Then look at the subject headings for those books. You can follow the subject heading links in the catalog to find similar books, or you can use the terms in the subject headings to identify other keywords to try.

Example Keyword Search:

civil rights biograph*

feminist memoir

Example Subject Headings:
African American Women Civil Rights Workers

Personal memoirs

Feminists -- United States

You can use a mix of Subject Headings and Keywords in order to get more specific. For example:

Personal memoirs AND (gay rights)

Transgender people AND (biograph* OR memoir)