Why look for Background Info?
Looking for background information before developing a research topic will save you time and help you develop a better research question for your paper. The same way you need to use a map to find a location you have never been before, encyclopedias, handbooks, ethnographies and research articles provide you with a knowledge map to understand broad topics about human lives and customs.Note
Except for ethnohistory and ethnobotany, all linked articles are located in the database Oxford Bibliographies Online - Anthropology.
- Oxford Bibliographies - AnthropologyUse this database to find more background information on a wide variety of topics in Anthropology and Archaeology. To search only in the anthropology section of this database, type your search term in the text box titled "Jump to other articles" below the Title Box, Anthropology.
Because the field of anthropology is multi- and interdisciplinary, it is possible for you to identify a sub-field in anthropology that intercepts with your major. Click on the tab that represent your field!
There is a topic for all of you!!
Biology students may be interested in:
Business and Economic students may be interested in:
Criminology students may be interested in:
Computer Science students may be interested in:
- Human-Interaction Design and how it uses ethographic methodology to improve their researchCheck section, 2.6 Implications of HCI for science, practice, and epistemology, to read about their use of ethnographic approaches in HCI.
Civil & Electric Engineering students may be interested in:
to understand how the construction of man-made structures such as highways, hydroelectric or nuclear plants have a human impact (positive or negative) toward indigenous populations and other racial and ethnic groups.
To give you an example, see these articles on hydroelectric plants and dams (either published in an anthropological journal or that use anthropological methodology):
Humanities students majors (History, Music, Literature) may be interested in the following sub-disciplines:
Pharmacy and Chemistry students may be interested in:
Where to Find Keywords
Check these sites to see lists of anthropological keywords that you can use for searching for articles on your topic!
Check out this selection of background resources available to you in anthropology to find inspiration for your research topic! I recommend that you click each tab to see and access this selection of books!
Background Resources
Databases & Bibliographies:
- Annual Review of AnthropologyCheck this journal to find in-depth articles about all type of topics study in the field of anthropology. These articles discussed the most current research on any given topic and provide extensive bibliographies that you can use to find relevant articles on your topic. Although there is no guaranty that you will find the topic you want to study, you can use this journal to find articles with similar topics that can serve as inspiration for your paper.
- Anthropology Plus
Indexes worldwide materials from the late 1800s to today in the fields of social, cultural, physical, biological, and linguistic anthropology; ethnology, archaeology, folklore, and material culture.
- Oxford Bibliographies - AnthropologyAn excellent resource to learn more about the many fields in anthropology and explore topics study in this field. Each article includes a bibliography with more articles on the topic.
Encyclopedias:
Encyclopedia of Anthropology by Topics covered: physical anthropology, archaeology, cultural anthropology, linguistics, and applied anthropology. Also included are relevant articles on geology, paleontology and much more.
Death and the Afterlife by This cultural encyclopedia examines customs and beliefs relating to death and burial in clear, well-written articles covering most major religious and cultural traditions from prehistoric to modern times.
Encyclopedia of African American Culture and History: The Black Experience in the Americas by This encyclopedia covers the African American experience from 1619 to the present day.
Handbook of Native American Mythology by This work introduces readers to the mythologies of Native Americans from the United States to the Arctic Circle.
Santeria by ISBN: 0275990796Publication Date: 2007-03-30An excellent source to understand Santeria, an Afro-Caribbean religion, which has spread across the globe.
Biological Anthropology of the Human Skeleton by This work presents the work related to the scientific analysis of human skeletal remains recovered from archaeological sites.
Medical Anthropology at the Intersections by In this important collection, prominent scholars who helped to establish medical anthropology as an area of study reflect on the field's past, present, and future.
Documenting Domestication : New Genetic and Archaeological Paradigms by This volume brings together leading archaeologists and biologists working on the domestication of both plants and animals to consider a wide variety of archaeological and genetic approaches to tracing the origin and dispersal of domesticates.
Human Diet by ISBN: 0897897366Publication Date: 2002-03-30The resources cover studies of traditional peoples, non-human primates, human fossil and archaeological remains, nutritional chemistry, and evolutionary medicine, to name just a few.
Shamanism: An Encyclopedia of World Beliefs, Practices, and CultureA guide to worldwide shamanism and shamanistic practices, emphasizing historical and current cultural adaptations.
Cannabis: Evolution and Ethnobotany by ISBN: 9780520954571Publication Date: 2013-09-01Cannabis: Evolution and Ethnobotany is a comprehensive, interdisciplinary exploration of the natural origins and early evolution of this famous plant, highlighting its historic role in the development of human societies.
Cultural Forests of the Amazon by ISBN: 9780817386559Publication Date: 2013-08-01Cultural Forests of the Amazon is a comprehensive and diverse account of how Indigenous people transformed landscapes and managed resources in the most extensive region of tropical forests in the world from an ethnobotanical point of view.
