Research Guides: English Literature Research Guide: African-American

Scholarship and Databases

JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Access a wide variety of journal articles in the humanities and other disciplines.
Note: You may not be able to access the most current 2–7 years of certain journals—but many of these recent publications are found in Project MUSE.
Oxford Bibliographies Online. African American Studies This link opens in a new window
Guide to scholarly literature in the field of African American studies. Subdivided into articles by established scholars covering major categories of research with corresponding bibliographies of recommended resources.
Black Studies Center This link opens in a new window
Contains material for black studies including essays, periodicals, reference books, the Schomburg Studies, and more.
Black Studies Center seamlessly integrates the Schomburg Studies on the Black Experience, Black Studies Periodicals Database (formerly IIBP), and full-text access to historical back-files of Chicago Defender from 1935-1975, a prominent black newspaper. The Schomburg Studies on the Black Experience consists of commissioned essays by scholars in the field and a collection of primary resources that includes photographs and video clips.

African-American Poetry This link opens in a new window
Collection of poems by African American poets of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Black Drama This link opens in a new window
Access plays written from the mid-1800s to the present by authors from North America, English-speaking Africa, the Caribbean, and other African diaspora countries.
Black Literature Index This link opens in a new window
Indexes African American fiction, poetry, and literary criticism appearing in Black owned and edited publications in the United States. Includes the index to Black Literature, 1827-1940, a microfiche collection.
Black Thought and Culture This link opens in a new window
Contains published and unpublished non-fiction writings by black American authors.
Twentieth-Century African American Poetry This link opens in a new window
Access poetry written by major African American poets of the 20th century.

America's Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Explore the nation's past in unprecedented ways. Search and browse American newspapers published across three centuries.
African-American Newspapers: 19th Century This link opens in a new window
Access historical African American newspapers.
Archives Unbound, Black Economic Empowerment: The National Negro Business League This link opens in a new window
Access documents from the National Negro Business League. Founded in 1900, the League sought to promote economic development and African American equality.
Black Abolitionist Papers This link opens in a new window
Collection of documents written by black men and women involved in the movement to end slavery in the United States between 1830-1865.
ProQuest African American Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Black Newspapers provides a record of social change spanning almost a century. Covers major events to everyday life; includes newspapers such as Atlanta Daily World, Los Angeles Sentinel, New York Amsterdam News, and Pittsburgh Courier.
African American Communities This link opens in a new window
Contains primary source materials related to race relations and African American communities in Atlanta, Chicago, St Louis, Brooklyn, and towns and cities in North Carolina.