HIST 385: Inventing Race: Getting Started

Studying the historical and socio-cultural constructs that have created 'racial difference' in the modern world-generally based on skin color and/or ethnicity-and how it has been used as a way of separating, classifying, and oppressing certain groups of people for millennia, is dependent on both the examination of colonial and 'official' records, as well as those of marginalized communities whose voices were muted or excluded in the historic record. The concept of 'race,' greatly exaggerated in the age of exploration when Europeans came into contact with 'the other'-those who did not share the same outward physical traits or socio-cultural values or 'morals' as these primarily white, Christian individuals-can be found in the codification of laws, official national narratives, and socio-economic policies used to justify the oppression of those who were enslaved, disenfranchised, and otherwise suppressed in participating fully in society and government. Difference was further accentuated with the introduction of New World slavery-chattel slavery-which relied on the construction of new political and social norms based on racial difference and religion to justify the enslavement of 'non-white' people from Africa and the Americas

This guide will hopefully connect the user with some places to start uncovering and discovering the codified, often purposefully hidden, histories related to the invention of race as a way to separate people-to categorize them for the legitimization of social hierarchies and public policies and enslavement as personal property-and help bring the voices of those that have been oppressed by history to the surface to reexamine how the history of the invention of race is understood and how it has transformed the way we look at contemporary societal issues and constructs internationally.

The Bertrand Library holds and has access to millions of great resources on the history of racial constructs codified in international politics and society, including books like those listed in your course syllabus, scholarly journal articles, archival and special collections at Bucknell and beyond, images and audio-visual materials, and items that also may be written or spoken in languages such as French, Spanish, and Portuguese. Please reach out if you're having issues with topic selection, finding resources within the scope of your topic, or just need advice on where to start by using the "Ask a Question!" or "Meet with a Librarian" tools available on this page. 

Finding Books

A good way to start searching for books is to use the WorldCat search bar at the top of this page, which allows you to search Bertrand Library's holding and beyond. You can use the filters on the top of the search bar to search just for books, as well as for other types of resources such as articles and multimedia items.

Finding Scholarly Journal Articles and Databases

To locate academic journal articles, you can use the various databases listed on the "A-Z Databases" page or search for individual journal title on the "A-Z journals" page of the library's website. 

You can also consult Google Scholar to find  scholarly materials in journals, books, and other sources, which will display Bucknell's full-text access if Library Link is enabled. For news articles, consult the library's News Sources guide.

Finding Government Documents and Statistical Data

Government documents are useful in uncovering the political and economic marginalization of people through legislation and in legal codification of status and class, race, and gender. You can find more details on both international and U.S.-based government documents in our Government Information guide.

Data (statistics, data sets/ public opinion surveys, etc.) are important sources to use to support ideas you put forth.  Consult the library's Data Sources guides for information on where to find data sets that might be useful in your research.

Finding Primary Resource Material

There are many online resources related to the socio-economic, cultural, and political histories of race throughout time that can be found through websites developed and overseen by non-profit and community-based organizations, developed by Black Studies, Women's and Gender Studies, History, and African, European, and Latin American scholars and librarians, and by community members in marginalized communities around the globe.

Primary resource materials are often available online through library, archives, and museum digital collection websites, as well as university and non-profit organizations who create digital guides for further study, and through the work of community-based organizations who work with marginalized communities to share their experiences with wider audiences. You will find just a small sampling of what's available from online databases and websites listed in the 'Primary Resources' tab. You might also want to check out this guide to finding Image Resources in the Library's databases and online.

For tutorials and more information on locating resources in the databases and journals available to the Bucknell community, visit the "Library Tutorials for Students-Information Resources" research guide 

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