African American Studies

A guide with resources and tips for doing research in African American Studies

How to Research This Subject

"African American studies are academic units that focus on the systematic investigation of people of African descent in their contacts with Europeans, their dispersal throughout the diaspora, and the subsequent institutionalization of racism and oppression as means of economic, political, and social subordination. From the outset, these studies had both an academic and a social mission." Aldridge, Delores. "African American Studies." In K. Lomotey (Ed.) Encyclopedia of African American Education (2010).

Welcome, students, researchers, and curious minds! I'm Lux Darkbloom, your librarian for the School of Cultural and Social Transformation, and I'm here to help you find answers to your academic questions. My main priority is to connect you with the knowledge, resources, and services that the library provides, especially for important fields like African-American Studies.

This guide is your entry point to library resources for African-American Studies. Whether you're starting a research project, learning about cultural histories, or exploring the impact of race and ethnicity, you'll find the resources you need here. You can find a selection of recommended resources in the menu to the left, as well as the tabs above.

If you have a question, need help with databases, or are looking for a specific resource, please reach out. You can connect with me directly at lux.darkbloom@utah.edu. I'm also available by phone, through Zoom, or for an in-person chat in the library. Let's find what you need together.

To search the library catalog, you can search for keywords that describe your topic. 

Search by Keyword

  • Start with basic terms: Write down the most obvious words related to your topic.
  • Think of synonyms: Use a thesaurus or online synonym finder to find alternative words for your basic terms. Don't just use synonyms; consider related terms as well.
  • Consider broader and narrower terms: Move up and down the hierarchy of terms. If "pollution" is a keyword, also consider "air pollution," "water pollution," or the specific pollutants involved.
  • Think of related concepts: What other ideas are connected to your topic? For example, if your topic is "artificial intelligence," related concepts might be "machine learning," "neural networks," or "robotics."
  • Consider acronyms and abbreviations: If your topic has a common acronym, include it.
  • Think about the type of resource you need: Are you looking for books, articles, videos, or something else? This can influence your keywords (e.g., "documentary" for a film).
  • Consider the time period: If your topic is time-sensitive, include relevant years or eras.
  • Consider the location: If your topic is geographically specific, include place names.

Advanced Searching

  • Use an asterisk to find variants on a word (for example, wom*n will search for both woman and women)
  • Use quotation marks around exact phrases ("civil rights movement")
  • Combine terms using AND and OR
    • For example, "racial inequality" AND education will narrow to results that have both terms
    • Another example: "African American history" OR "black history" will search for results that have either term

Below are a small selection of texts related to African American Studies.

When starting your research, you might want to begin by gathering background information on your topic using reference works. Tertiary sources, such as encyclopedias and reference databases, are good places to start.

Reference works: 

  • Provide an overview of your topic
  • Are often written by scholars or experts in the field
  • Provide key people, places, events, and terms that you can use to refine your searches
  • Offer suggestions for further reading

To find reference materials for your research topic try a search in the library catalog combining keywords. 
For example, African American history bibliography

Click here for a list of the library's encyclopedia databases.

Select Cambridge Companions related to African American Studies:

Statistics can be a useful tool when researching populations or groups.

Marriott Library Eccles Library Quinney Law Library