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Introduction
This page collects resources focused on Sociology & Urban Studies 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 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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Sociological Abstracts (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
- What’s included? The international literature in sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. Citations and abstracts for journals, books, dissertations, and conference papers in areas such as social structure, inequality, social change, and social problems. Updated monthly.
- What dates are covered? 1952 - Present.
- What’s included? The international literature in sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. Citations and abstracts for journals, books, dissertations, and conference papers in areas such as social structure, inequality, social change, and social problems. Updated monthly.
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Academic Search Complete (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
- What's included? Citations to and full text of over 8,500 journals and magazines, including more than 7,300 peer-reviewed journals. Covers a wide range of academic subjects including the arts, humanities, social sciences, sciences, technology, and more.
- What dates are covered? Coverage varies, but generally covers the mid 1990s - present. Updated daily.
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CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window
- What's included? Reports researched and written by journalists, on a variety of current topics. Reports include an introductory overview; background and chronology on the topic; an assessment of the current situation; tables and maps; pro/con statements from representatives of opposing positions; and bibliographies of key sources.
- What dates are covered? 1923-. Updated weekly.
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PAIS Index (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
- What’s included? Citations to journal articles, books, government publications, research & conference reports, publications of international agencies, and other materials from over 120 countries. Covers topics related to public affairs, public and social policies, and international relations. Updated monthly.
- What dates are covered? 1914 - Present.
- What’s included? Citations to journal articles, books, government publications, research & conference reports, publications of international agencies, and other materials from over 120 countries. Covers topics related to public affairs, public and social policies, and international relations. Updated monthly.
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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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ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Boston Globe (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
- What’s included? Page image and full-text index to The Boston Globe. Additional year of content added annually.
- What dates are covered? 1872 - 2007.
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ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times with Index (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
- What’s included? Page image and full-text index to The New York Times. Additional year of content added annually.
- What dates are covered? 1851 - 2021.
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Providence Journal (Newsbank) This link opens in a new window
- What’s included? Articles from the Providence Journal and Evening Bulletin. Searchable page images available for 1829 to present. Full text available from 1981 to present.
- What dates are covered? 1829 - Present.
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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 Sociology, Urban Studies, Black Communities, Race and social inequality, etc. 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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Race for Profit
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Call Number: ebookISBN: 9781469653662Publication Date: 2019"This book uncovers how exploitative real estate practices continued well after housing discrimination was banned. It reveals how the urban core was transformed into a new frontier of cynical extraction." -
Chocolate Cities
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Call Number: ebookISBN: 9780520292833Publication Date: 2018This text offers new display of the United States- a “Black map” that more accurately reflects the lived experiences and the future of Black life in America. It provides a provocative, broad, and necessary assessment of how racial and ethnic minorities make and change America’s social, economic, and political landscape by drawing on film, fiction, music, and oral history. -
When Race Meets Class
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Call Number: ebookISBN: 0429651368Publication Date: 2019This book follows the lives of individual, low-income African American youth from the beginning of high school into their early adult years. It shows how their interaction and experience with multiple institutions (family, school, community) and individuals (parents, friends, teachers, coaches, strangers) shape their hopes, fears, aspirations, and worldviews. -
Black Urban History at the Crossroads: Race and Place in the American City
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Call Number: ebookISBN: 9780822991359Publication Date: 2024This text explores the many ways that urban Black people across the United States built their own communities, crafted their own strategies for self-determination, and shaped the larger economy, culture, and politics of the urban environment and of their cities, regions, and nation.
Online Sources
Here are some freely available websites relating to Sociology and Urban Studies.
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H-Urban (N-Net)H-Urban is "a moderated multi-disciplinary forum for discussion and dissemination of scholarship on urban history and urban studies." Participants include researchers and scholars.
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National League of CitiesProvides research and reports on cities and urban areas.
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Urban Affairs Association"The Urban Affairs Association is dedicated to creating interdisciplinary spaces for engaging in intellectual and practical discussions about urban life."
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Urban Development (World Bank)Provides resources on international urban development including statistics and reports from a variety of regions and countries.
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Urban InstitutePresents economic and social policy research, statistics, and reports.
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National Urban LeagueOfficial website of the national Urban League. "The mission of the Urban League movement is to enable African Americans to secure economic self-reliance, parity, power and civil rights."
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NAACPOfficial website of the NAACP. "The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination."
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FBI Records: The Vault (Federal Bureau of Investigations)Treasure trove of documents from the FBI related to a broad range of investigations.
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The Crisis: A Record of the Darker Races (Brown University & University of Tulsa)Full content of W.E.B. Dubois and the NAACP's magazine The Crisis from 1910-1922. Digitized by Brown University and the University of Tulsa.
Redlining Resources
Redlining was a US governmental practice of indicating neighborhoods where banks would not be able to receive federal insurance for mortgages they issued. Maps showing the streets and neighborhoods were developed in the 1930s. Compare these maps to areas where urban renewal projects took place and where highways were built in later years.
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A 'Forgotten History' Of How The U.S. Government Segregated America (National Public Radio)Interview with the author of the book The Color of Law, Richard Rothstein. Includes more information on redlining and its impact.
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Where To Find Historical “Redlining” Maps Of Your City (Slate)List of websites where redlining maps have been posted.
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Redline map of Providence (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration)Direct link to the redline map of Providence from the National Archives and Records Administration.
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National Archives Catalog (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration)Search for "redlining map" to locate a map of Providence and other cities.
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Mapping Inequality: Redlining in New Deal America (University of Richmond)Interactive map tool that allows you to explore redline maps from a variety of cities.