History: Africa

Multidisciplinary database of journal articles (including peer reviewed), books, book chapters, reports, conference proceedings, etc. Coverage: 1887-present.
Essential for understanding Black history and culture, African Diaspora, 1860-Present allows scholars to discover the migrations, communities, and ideologies of the African Diaspora through the voices of people of African descent. With a focus on communities in the Caribbean, Brazil, India, United Kingdom, and France, the collection includes never-before digitized primary source documents.
African Newspapers in the World Newspaper Archive contains more than 420,000 pages of content from newspapers published throughout sub-Saharan Africa. The database features 67 titles from Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and other countries.
Explore five centuries of journeys across the globe, scientific discoveries, the expansion of European colonialism, conflict over territories and trade routes, and decades-long search and rescue attempts in this multi-archive collection dedicated to the history of exploration.
AllAfrica is a voice of, by and about Africa - aggregating, producing and distributing 900 news and information items daily from over 140 African news organizations and their own reporters to an African and global public. They operate from Cape Town, Dakar, Abuja, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington DC.
Images, documents, and 3D models documenting heritage sites throughout Africa. Includes photographs, GIS data, site plans, excavation reports, traveler's accounts, maps, books, recordings, journal articles, etc. Coverage: 18th century-present.
Resources documenting the struggles for freedom in Southern Africa Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and the two Congos. Nationalist publications, records of colonial governments, local newspapers, personal papers, UN documents, oral testimonies, speeches, correspondence, etc. Coverage: Early 20th century-present.
This is an essential resource for the study of the apartheid era in Southern Africa, sourced exclusively from The National Archives UK. It provides unparalleled analysis of South African politics, trade relations, international opinion and humanitarian dilemmas against a backdrop of waning colonialism and mounting world condemnation. The content spans 30 years, from the election of the National Party in 1948 through to 1980.
Archives Direct is a suite of collections sourced from The National Archives, Kew - the UK government's official archive.
Collection of databases devoted to disciplines in history and the social sciences. See titles of individual databases for further information. Coverage: Varies by database.
Cross-searchable access to primary sources spanning three centuries of history, literature, trade and the international affairs of China. From the 1800s to the modern era, this cross-searchable platform brings together three Adam Matthew Digital collections of rare printed books, pamphlets, manuscripts, diaries, newspapers and periodicals. These are supported by a range of incredible art works, illustrations and photographs.
Complete volumes of all British Government Confidential Print for Africa, from the Colonial, Dominion, Foreign and War Offices.
Founded in 1981, the Daily Observer is Liberia’s best-known, independent, national newspaper. The Daily Observer is notable for its coverage of the modern history of Liberia—including the Liberian Civil War and through its current phase of development. Comprising over 35,000 pages, the Daily Observer Digital Archive (DODA) is a comprehensive archive of this title—published in English.
This resource brings together manuscript, printed and visual primary source materials for the study of 'Empire' and its theories, practices and consequences. The materials span across the last five centuries and are accompanied by a host of secondary learning resources including scholarly essays, maps and an interactive chronology. Covers 1942 to 2007.
This collection comprises correspondence, studies and reports, cables, maps, and other kinds of documents related to U.S. consular activities. U.S. Consulates were listening posts reporting on the activities of the French colonial government and the activities of the native peoples. Highlights include the beginning of an anti-colonial movement and problems along the Moroccan-Algerian border. An Archives Unbound database. Coverage: 1910-1930.
This collection comprises correspondence, studies and reports, cables, maps, and other kinds of documents related to U.S. consular activities. U.S. Consulates were listening posts reporting on the activities of the German colonial governments and later the mandate authorities, and the activities of the native peoples. An Archives Unbound database. Coverage: 1910-1929.
This collection comprises correspondence, studies and reports, cables, maps, and other kinds of documents related to U.S. consular activities. U.S. Consulates were listening posts reporting on the activities of the Italian colonial governments and later the mandate authorities, and the activities of the native peoples. An Archives Unbound database. Coverage: 1930-1939.
This collection comprises correspondence, studies and reports, cables, maps, and other kinds of documents related to U.S. consular activities. U.S. Consulates were listening posts reporting on the activities of the Portuguese colonial government and the activities of the native peoples. Highlights include the beginning of an anti-colonial movement and the industrialization and economic exploitation of Portugal's African colonies. An Archives Unbound database. Coverage: 1910-1929.
This digital collection of primary source documents helps us to understand existence on the edges of the anglophone world from 1650-1920. Discover the various European and colonial frontier regions of North America, Africa and Australasia through documents that reveal the lives of settlers and indigenous peoples in these areas.
Covers all aspects of world history (excluding the US and Canada) since 1450. Includes journal articles, books, reviews, conference proceedings, dissertations, etc. published after 1954. About 250 History journals in this database are not findable in EBSCO's Academic Search database, making this the go-to database for finding world history articles.
The Institution of Slavery explores, in vivid detail, the inner workings of slavery from 1492 to 1888. Through legal documents, plantation records, first-person accounts, newspapers, government records, and other primary sources, this collection reveals how enslaved people struggled against the institution. These rare works explore slavery as a legal and labor system, the relationship between slavery and religion, freed slaves, the Shong Massacre, the Demerara insurrection, and many other aspects and events.
Archives of Sexuality and Gender: International Perspectives on LGBTQ Activism and Culture examines diversity in underrepresented areas of the world such as southern Africa and Australia, highlighting cultural and social histories, struggles for rights and freedoms, explorations of sexuality, and organizations and key figures in LGBTQ history. It insures LGBTQ stories and experiences are preserved. Among many diverse and historical 20th century collections, materials include: the Papers of Simon Nkoli, a prominent South African anti-apartheid, gay and lesbian rights, and HIV/AIDS activist; Exit newspaper (formerly Link/Skakel ), South Africa's longest running monthly LGBTQ publication; Geographic Files, also known as "Lesbians in" with coverage from Albania to Zimbabwe; and the largest available collection of digitized Australian LGBTQ periodicals.
Collections in the International Relations and Military Conflicts category span from 1911-1975, offering a detailed view of U.S. foreign relations during the period from the years immediately before the outbreak of World War I through to the end of the Vietnam War. While these modules provide an excellent view of U.S. international relations during these important years, these records also offer detailed information on the countries in which the U.S. diplomatic or military officials were stationed. As such, the collections in the International Relations and Military Conflicts category are an excellent source for studies of individual countries or regions of the world. In addition, U.S. diplomats and military officials often reported back on international reaction to events in the United States, thereby providing an international perspective on important developments in the United States. This category also now includes British Foreign Office Records on World War I and the creation of Israel from 1940-1948.
Multidisciplinary full-text journal articles from 1,500 major journals. Please note: In many cases, JSTOR does not include the most recent 3 to 5 years of these journals. Please use other databases to retrieve recent articles, especially for current events topics. Coverage: Varies by title. Access is available to 2007+ alumni; requires W&M userid and password.
Black nationalism and pan-Africanism. FBI documents, correspondence, ephemera, reports, memoranda, transcriptions, etc. An Archives Unbound database. Coverage: 1970-1985.
Major American newspapers, some foreign newspapers, and selected stories from US regional newspapers. Contains over 500 U.S. newspapers (ex. USA Today, Washington Post) and 700 international newspapers (ex. Toronto Star, Manila Times). Also includes television and radio news transcripts. Coverage: Varies by title.
Newspapers.com is a historical database of newspapers across the globe, potentially going as far back as 1690 and up until the present day.
Offers peer-reviewed annotated bibliographies on African and African American Studies. Bibliographies are browseable by subject area and keyword searchable.
Peer-reviewed annotated bibliographies on the transnational interconnections between Europe, North America, South America, and Africa, particularly in the early modern and colonial period.
Contains two dozen large primary source databases including: America's Historical Imprints, America's Historical Newspapers, World Newspaper Archives (includes Africa and Latin America), African Americans and Reconstruction, and United States Government Documents.
Revolution and Protest Online explores the protest movements, revolutions, and civil wars that have transformed societies and human experience from the 18th century through the present. It is organized around more than thirty events and areas, representing a variety of time periods, regions, and topics. Includes American Revolution, Arab Spring, Chinese Communist Revolution, Civil Rights Movement, Cuban Revolutions, Hungarian Revolution, Iranian Revolutions, Russian Revolutions, and others.
Slave Trade in the Atlantic World charts the inception of slavery in Africa and its rise as perpetuated on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, placing particular emphasis on the Caribbean, Latin America, and United States. This collection was developed by an international editorial board with scholars specializing in North American, European, African, and Latin American/Caribbean aspects of the slave trade. Includes customs records, court cases, shipping records, manuscripts, personal papers, letters, trade records, and other materials.
Includes collections on the transatlantic slave trade, the global movement for the abolition of slavery, the legal, personal, and economic aspects of the slavery system, and the dynamics of emancipation in the U.S. as well as in Latin America, the Caribbean, and other regions. Part 1. Debates over slavery and abolition; Part 2. Slave trade in the Atlantic world; Part 3. The institution of slavery; Part 4. The age of emancipation. Includes legal documents, plantation records, first-person accounts, newspapers, government records, and other primary sources Covers: 1492 to 1888.
Women and Social Movements in Modern Empires since 1820 explores prominent themes in world history since 1820: conquest, colonization, settlement, resistance, and post-coloniality, as told through womens voices. Includes materials from women in the Asian Empires, European Empires, Ottoman and Post-Ottoman Empires, Native Women in North America, Settler Society in North America, South Africa, the United States, and Globally.
Women and Social Movements: Development and the Global South, 1919-2019 examines efforts to foster gender equity through expanded economic and social participation of women on a global scale. Covering a century, the database highlights and evaluates activism through individual efforts, organizational initiatives, and socio-cultural projects led by or for women in the Global South. It shows how women have negotiated power and status regarding private or public programs centered on their rights and social inclusion. Stressing the historical problem of the feminization of poverty, coupled with womens invisibility within most foreign aid regimes and approaches to technical assistance, the project documents how women and their allies worked to balance economic growth and social improvement while navigating equity and the fairer allocation of resources. Accompanying essays by leading scholars in the field outline and critique significant shifts in approaches to development, including that of a gendered post-development perspective.

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