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Introduction
This page collects resources focused on Arts and Literature sources. Below, you will find a tabbed list of recommended databases, a curated selection of recommended books and e-books covering a wide range of Africana Arts & Literature topics, as well as links to freely available websites and digital collections relating to this topic.
Suggested Databases
The best place to find articles is in one of the library's databases, but choosing a database can be overwhelming! Here are a few best bets with a brief description of their specialties and strengths! Use the recommendations below for a good place to start. If you want to explore beyond these, you can search the library's Databases @ URI list by "subject" to find recommendations for your field or area of study.
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Art Abstracts (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
- What's included? Citations to articles from periodicals published throughout the world. Topics include art, art history, advertising, antiques, archaeology, architecture, fashion, interior design, textiles, and more. Also includes information about reproductions of works of art that appear in indexed periodicals, yearbooks, and museum bulletins.
- What dates are covered? 1984-. Updated daily.
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Film and Television Literature Index (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
- What’s included? Comprehensive bibliographic database covering the entire spectrum of television and film writing. It has been designed for use by a diverse audience that includes film scholars, college students, and general viewers. Subject coverage includes film & television theory, preservation & restoration, writing, production, cinematography, technical aspects, and reviews. Updated twice a month.
- What dates are covered? Mostly 1970s - present, with some older coverage
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JSTOR This link opens in a new window
- What’s included? Archival journal collections in many disciplines, scholarly e-books, images, and primary source materials from institutions worldwide.
- What else should I know? Many journals in JSTOR have an embargo (called the "Moving Wall") on their most recent articles, generally ranging from 3-5 years. Other databases will provide more current results.
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MLA International Bibliography with Full Text (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
- What’s included? Guide to scholarship on language, literature, linguistics, rhetoric and composition, folklore, and film. International in scope, the MLA Bibliography covers scholarly publications including journal articles, books, articles in books, series, translations, scholarly editions, websites, and dissertations. Full text for more than 1,000 journals.
- What dates are covered? Early 20th century - Present.
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Music Index Online (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
- What’s included? Cover-to-cover indexing and abstracts of articles about music, musicians and the music industry. In addition to journal articles, it provides citations for book reviews, obituaries and news articles.
- What dates are covered? 1970 - Present.
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African American Newspapers Series 1 and 2, 1827-1998 (America's Historical Newspapers) This link opens in a new window
- What’s included? More than 350 U.S. newspapers covering a century and a half of the African American experience. Includes historically significant papers from more than 35 states and features many rare 19th-century titles.
- What dates are covered? 1827-1998
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Readers’ Guide Retrospective: 1890-1982 (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
- What’s included? Access almost 100 years of cultural history with citations to over 3 million articles that appeared in 373 leading U.S. magazines.
- What dates are covered? 1890 - Present.
Recommended Books & eBooks
The books below are just a starting point! To find related material through our catalog, URI Libraries Search, try terms like Arts, Literature, Music (or a specific genre, like Rap or Hip Hop), African American, African Diaspora, or History to find additional relevant resources on your own!
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URI Libraries SearchURI's library catalog - this is your starting point for books (and other materials!) on any topic!
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Rethinking America's Past
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Call Number: ebookISBN: 1947602144Publication Date: 2019This text explains how African Americans have influenced the course of history and art through aesthetic, intellectual, and political innovation. -
The Art of Remembering
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Call Number: ebookISBN: 9781478030171Publication Date: 2024This book explores African American art and representation from the height of the British colonial period to the present. It demonstrates that African American art and history may be remembered and understood through a process of close looking, cultural and historical contextualization, and biographic consideration. -
The Come Up
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Call Number: Carothers Library Stacks ML3531 .A27 2022ISBN: 9781984825131Publication Date: 2022This book offers the most comprehensive account so far of hip-hop's rise, told in the voices of the people who made it happen. It traces how the genre grew out of the resourcefulness of an overlooked population amid the decay of the South Bronx, and from there how it overflowed into the other boroughs and then across the nation-from parks onto vinyl, below to the Mason-Dixon line, to the West Coast through gangster rap and G-funk, and then across generations. -
What Is African Art?
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Call Number: Carothers Library Stacks N7380 .P76 2022ISBN: 9780226793016Publication Date: 2022This text helps the reader understand how Africanists have continuously filled the notion of African art with new meanings and why these shifts manifest wider societal transformations. The book covers three key stages in the field's history- the late nineteenth through mid-twentieth century, the rise of Black Atlantic studies in the 1970s and 1980s, and the postcolonial reconfiguration of the field driven by questions of heritage, reparation, and the "crisis of representation."
Online Resources
Here are some freely available websites relating to African and African diaspora arts and literature.
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H-AfrLitCineH-AfrLitCine is a forum for the discussion and exploration of African literature and cinema.
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National Museum of African ArtThe museum’s programs target audiences of all ages and offer a multifaceted view of Africa’s artistic traditions by incorporating cutting edge, contemporary and urban-focused performances and programs. Artist talks, films and lectures draw African art enthusiasts, area students, artists and collectors as well as individuals from the immigrant and expatriate communities.
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Contemporary African Art- The Harmon FoundationThe following selection, arranged alphabetically by name of artist, from the "Artworks by African Artists" series, is a representative sample of the work of some of the artists in the collection.
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African Literature on the Internet- Columbia UniversityA wide array of online African Literature.
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African Language Materials Archive (ALMA)Discover audio, documents, human rights charters, music, newspapers, plays, poetry, storytelling, teaching materials, and videos
in more than 20 African languages!
