Starting Your Search
The best place to start a search for information on peoples is in reference books. The books listed below are in Chemeketa's library. When you look at articles in reference books, make sure you note the following: alternate names for the ethnic group ("ethnonym"); alternate spellings of these names, where the group lives, name(s) of the group's language. All these things can help you find more information later. Also note any bibliographic references to books or articles about the group.
Reference Books for Studying Cultures in Their Native Environment
| Online | Countries and their cultures |
| R 306.03 IL6 | The Illustrated encyclopedia of mankind |
| R 306.097 En1 and online | The Encyclopedia of world cultures |
| Online | Encyclopedia of World Cultures: Supplement |
| R 305.8003 W89 and online | Worldmark encyclopedia of cultures and daily life |
| R 305.803 En1 | Encyclopedia of cultural anthropology |
| Online | Encyclopedia of multicultural psychology |
| R 394.26 F715 | The Folklore of world holidays |
| R 394.26 H71 | Holidays, festivals, and celebrations of the world dictionary |
| R 909.83 C89w | Culturegrams |
| R 910.3 En1 1995 | World geographical encyclopedia |
| R 960 M85 | Peoples of the world: Africans south of the Sahara |
There are also subject dictionaries or encyclopedias on particular countries, regions, or groups of people, e.g., Kodansha encyclopedia of Japan, The African American encyclopedia, Dictionary of Chicano folklore.
Student Resources in Context has additional reference books and articles. Tip: Click "Reference" above the search space before entering a term for the culture you're researching.
Reference Books For Studying Cultures In the United States
| R 305.800973 Am | American immigrant cultures: builders of a nation |
| R 305.800973 G13 | Gale encyclopedia of multicultural America |
| Online | Encyclopedia of multicultural psychology |
| R 306.446 En1 | Encyclopedia of multiculturalism |
| R 305.8003 W89 and online | Worldmark encyclopedia of cultures and daily life |
Try looking in the Keyword search the catalog with the place name or ethnic name followed by "and dictionar*" or "and encyclopedia*." For further advice on finding subject encyclopedias in the library catalog, see How To Find Specialized Dictionaries & Encyclopedias. A reference librarian can also help you find these works.
Finding Further Information
The Library Catalog
Books (usually) are on more general subjects; articles in periodicals are on more specific ones. Books are found in the catalog. Electronic books are available through to Chemeketa students through the library catalog, or by going to our database pages. To access these books from off campus you will need your My Chemeketa user name and six-digit password.
Books about "mainstream" inhabitants of a country, or about a variety of ethnic groups within a country, are entered under such subject headings as
- Argentina - Social life and customs
- Business etiquette - China
- Etiquette - Ukraine
- Japan - Civilization
- National characteristics, Philippine
Books on specific inhabitants of that country are entered under the name of the people:
- Chontal Indians
- !Kung (African people)
Names of places may also be used as subdivisions following a topical subject heading:
- Funeral rites and ceremonies - Mexico
- Kinship - Pakistan
Names of groups may be used adjectivally, for example:
- Mourning customs, Jewish
- Folk songs, Finnish
Use truncation characters to find all the words that start with the same letters. The truncation character for the catalog is an asterisk, "*" (Example: cultur*).
Try the Keyword search to find the name of an ethnic group anywhere it appears. Also try the Keyword search option for books to find specific chapters listed in contents notes, or for names of peoples mentioned in the title, but not in the subject heading:
Keyword search for BASQUE* finds books including one
called The Spanish World, which has a chapter called,
"The Basque Country."
Keyword search for INDIA and ETIQUETTE finds books
including one called Passport India : your pocket guide
to Indian business, customs & etiquette.
For guidance on subject headings used in the library catalog, consult Library of Congress Subject Headings (Reference 025.49 L61), or try Library of Congress Authorities.
Magazines and Journals
Periodical Articles are found in the Gale Academic OneFile database. If using databases from off campus, you will need your My Chemeketa user name and password.
Examples of some "anthropological" subject headings used in Gale include:
- Burial
- Culture with adjectival forms of countries, as Spanish Culture
- Subject headings containing the word "customs," such as Marriage Customs
- Funerals
- Subject headings containing the word "kinship," such as Matrilineal Kinship
- Manners and customs
- Marital Status
- Polygamy
- Polyandry
- Puberty rites
- also to some extent the subdivision - Social Aspects under the names of places
For the purpose of finding an article on a particular group, keyword searching often works best. Use ethnonyms and alternate spellings.
General Searching Tips
Click Advanced Search in the orange toolbar banner to do a search combining key words.
Use truncation characters to find all the words that start with the same letters. The truncation character for Gale databases is "*" (Example: cultur*). In any keyword search, it is critical to spell the key words correctly. If you find no results in a keyword search, check your spelling.
Limit your search to scholarly journals (if desired) by clicking the peer-reviewed check box on the search screen.
Combine a word for the group you are researching (e.g., African Americans, Navajo) with another key word, using AND, OR, NOT:
| cultur* | beliefs | marriage, family, etc. |
| custom* | values | acculturation |
| practices | perceptions | counsel* |
| habits | behavior | clients |
For example, in the search
Pakistan AND marriage customs
we combine the word "Pakistan*" with a key phrase, "marriage customs", to find articles. (Pakistan* returns Pakistan, Pakistani, Pakistanis) Here's what it looks like on the screen:
Internet Sites
Online Guide to Anthropology Resources (http://library.chemeketa.edu/information/virtual/anthropology.php#internet) is a good place to start. You'll find Cultural Orientation, Executive Planet, and Ethnomed, good sites for information about ethnic groups or cultures of a country. You may also wish to try Online Guide to Geography and Map Resources. Countries of the World has some resources that may be useful.
To comment or request help, please e-mail Reference or call 503.399.5231.
Address of this page: http://library.chemeketa.edu/instruction/handouts/ATH103.php
Updated: 23 Nov. 2011
