LibGuides: Political Anthropology: Political Anthropology

What is Political Anthropology?

Political anthropology is a subfield of sociocultural anthropology that examines politics in various historical, social, and cultural contexts. It involves the study of social practices through which people negotiate power relations and construct social meanings that support or undermine those relationships.

AI generated definition based on: International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences (Second Edition), 2015

►Use the Library Databases to search for articles.

Databases collect and index a big number of journals running through long time periods. They offer searching features that help you find what you need using and combining keywords, limiting your search by type of publication or date and other search techniques.

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In most cases you can access the articles in full text, or link to the full text from a different source.

Recommended Databases

JSTOR JSTOR, a digital library for scholars, researchers and students, provides access to more than 12 million academic journal articles, books, and primary sources in 75 disciplines including business, economics, humanities, medicine, mathematics, science, and social sciences. Library's subscription includes the following collections: Arts & Sciences, Business, Global Plants and Life Sciences. Availability: Full-text Date Coverage: 1665 to present
ProQuest Central A multidisciplinary database that supports research in more than 160 subject areas covering arts and humanities, business and management, health and medicine, science and technology, and social sciences. It includes scholarly journals, trade publications, magazines, books, newspapers, market reports and videos. Availability: Full-text and bibliographic citations Date Coverage: 1905 to present
ScienceDirect A multidisciplinary database that provides full-text access to hundreds of electronic journals, plus books and reference works, published by Elsevier and its subsidiaries. 754 of the journal titles are accessible from volume 1. Subjects covered include physical sciences, engineering, life sciences, health sciences, social sciences and humanities. Availability: Full-text Date Coverage: 1923 to present
Taylor & Francis Journals Online access to over 900 peer-reviewed journals covering disciplines in science, technology, engineering, medicine, humanities and social sciences published by Taylor & Francis, Routledge, and Psychology Press imprints. Availability: Full-text Date Coverage: All from v.1
PAIS Index This resource covers issues in the public debate through selective coverage of a wide variety of international sources including journal articles, books, government documents, statistical directories, grey literature, research reports, conference papers, web content, and more. PAIS International is the current file covering 1972 to present, and PAIS Archive includes the content from printed volumes published 1915-1976. Coverage: 1914 - Current
Web of Science Web of Science, an authoritative and multidisciplinary citation database, allows searching of core journal articles, conference proceedings, data sets, and other resources in the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities. Includes current and retrospective coverage dating to 1900. Also features "cited reference" search capabilities. Availability: Bibliographic citations Date Coverage: 1900 to present

Use the Annual Reviews database to search a collection of critical review articles published in the Annual Review of Anthropology

►Use Google Scholar to search for scholarly articles on political anthropology and related topics.

►Use Journal Finder to find journals by title.

►Looking for books about political anthropology, colonialism and related topics search the Library Catalog.

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Selected Books

Political Anthropology by Donald V. Kurtz
Publication Date: 2001
In this book, Donald V. Kurtz examines how anthropologists think about politics, political organizations, and problems fundamental to political anthropology. He explores the ideas by which they address universal political concerns, the paradigms that direct political research by anthropologists, and political topics of special interest.
Handbook of Political Anthropology by Harald Wydra (Editor); Bjø Thomassen (Editor)
Publication Date: 2018
This ground-breaking collection introduces readers to the fascinating research field of political anthropology. The chapters engage in major theoretical and methodological debates to provide interpretive frames, analytical tools and ethnographic illustrations for culturally based interpretations of political phenomena, revealing the intersection between anthropology, culture, politics and international relations. Theoretical tools such as liminality, sacrifice, mimesis, ethics, trickster and interpretation of meaning provide understanding of key challenges in a globalised world.
Voices of Decolonization by Todd Shepard
Call Number: J 325.3:S547v
Publication Date: 2014
Exploring decolonization as both a historical era and an aspirational movement, Voices of Decolonization shows how and why mid-twentieth-century decolonization transformed societies and cultures and continues to shape the world today.
Globalization and the Decolonial Option by Walter D. Mignolo (Editor); Arturo Escobar (Editor)
Call Number: J 303.482:G562m
Publication Date: 2013
This is the first book in English profiling the work of a research collective that evolved around the notion of "coloniality", understood as the hidden agenda and the darker side of modernity and whose members are based in South America and the United States. The project called for an understanding of modernity not from modernity itself but from its darker side, coloniality, and proposes the de-colonization of knowledge as an epistemological restitution with political and ethical implications.

Sample title

Anthropology and Political Science by Myron J. Aronoff; Jan Kubik
What can anthropology and political science learn from each other? The authors argue that collaboration, particularly in the area of concepts and methodologies, is tremendously beneficial for both disciplines. The book examines the basic assumptions the practitioners of each discipline make about the nature of social and political reality, compares some of the key concepts each field employs, and provides an extensive review of the basic methods of research that "bridge" both disciplines: ethnography and case study. Through ethnography (participant observation), reliance on extended case studies, and the use of "anthropological" concepts and sensibilities, a greater understanding of some of the most challenging issues of the day can be gained.

►Access e-Books through individual E-Books collections such as:

ProQuest Ebook Central A multidisciplinary collection of reference and scholarly e-books from hundreds of university presses, trade publishers, and popular presses. The content covers 16 key subject areas including: business and economics, computers and IT, education, fine arts, history, literature and linguistics, life science, medicine, political science etc... Availability: Full-text Date Coverage: 1999 to present
De Gruyter eBooks A multidisciplinary and multilingual collection of electronic books and textbooks from many reputable publishers. The collection covers 28 subject areas. Availability: Full-text Coverage: Complete collection Format: PDF and ePub
Oxford Scholarship Online Multidisciplinary and cross-searchable library containing the full-text of classic and newly published books from leading university presses in the areas of humanities, social sciences, sciences, medicine, and law. Availability: Full-text Date Coverage: Complete collection till March 2022
Oxford Handbooks Online A collection of electronic books published by Oxford University Press. The collection brings together the world’s leading scholar to discuss research and latest thinking on a range of major topics. It contains in-depth, high level scholarly review articles and covers a wide range of subject areas such as archaeology, classical studies, history, linguistics, literature, philosophy, and more. Availability: Full-text Date Coverage: 2012 to present

►Use Google Books to search the full text of books and download public domain books. Preview books in copyright domain.

Historical Newspapers provide insight into political movements, cultural shifts, and everyday life from different time periods.

Use one of the databases below to find historical newspaper articles.

Arab American History (1892-2020) Digital collections of Arabic language newspapers published in North and South America from the late 1880s to the mid-1900s. Sample titles are al-Akhlak, al-Bayan, al-Funun, al-Hoda, Kawkab Amirka, and Mira’at al-Gharb. The database is browsable and full text searchable in Arabic. First-time users must create a personal account. Founded by Khayrallah Center at North Carolina University. Availability: Full text Date Coverage: 1894-1960
Middle East and North Africa: Global Perspectives, 1958-1994 enquiry
New York Times with Index, The (1851-2020) The Historical New York Times (1851-2009) with Index (1851-1993) offers full-page-images and article images dating back to 1851. The full page image allows users to view the information in context as originally published. Availability: Full-text Date Coverage: 1851-2020 Note: Use LexisNexis database for issues published after 2009
Telegraph Historical Archive, The (1855-2000) Full-text historical archives of the London Daily Telegraph newspaper from 1855 to 2000. The archive provides access to both Daily and Sunday editions and offers a fundamental insight into domestic and international affairs and culture over a timespan of almost 150 years. Availability: full-text Date Coverage: 1855-2000
Times Digital Archive, The (1785-1985) Full-text historical archive of the Times (London) newspaper as published from 1785, and covering all major international historical events from the French Revolution to the Falkland War. The entire newspaper is captured, with all articles, editorials, advertisements and illustrations/ photos. Availability: Full-text Coverage: 1785-1985 Note: Use LexisNexis database for issues published after 1985

Primary Sources in Anthropology provide firsthand evidence about a topic, particular culture, event, or time period.

Access primary source databases to explore government and legal documents, historical texts like letters and diaries, oral histories, photographs, video recordings, artworks, and other archival materials. Original news stories and articles reporting on events are also considered primary sources.

Selected Primary Source Databases

Confidential Print: Middle East, 1839-1969 A collection of primary sources documents issued by the British Foreign and Colonial Offices. Users are prompted to add exception to access the database.The collection covers a broad sweep of history from 1839 to 1969, taking in the countries of the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Iraq, Turkey and many of the former Ottoman lands in Europe, Iran, Afghanistan, Egypt and Sudan. It consists of reports, dispatches, correspondence, political summaries, economic analyses and descriptions of leading personalities. All documents are fully text-searchable. Availability: Full-text Coverage: 1839-1969 Features: Direct link to RefWorks (Citation Management Software)
French Mandate in The Lebanon, Christian-Muslim Relations, and the U.S. Consulate at Beirut, 1920-1941 A collection of primary documents consisting of correspondence and telegrams received and sent by the American consular post in Beirut. Topics covered include the protection of interests of American citizens, foreign trade, shipping and immigration. Beirut post provides a unique look into the French Mandate. The collection includes unique materials on the Druse Rebellion of 1925 and other religious conflicts. Availability: Full-text Date Coverage: 1920-1941 Hint: To access the collection, go to ‘Available Collections from Archives Unbound’ box and select “French Mandate in The Lebanon …” from the list.
Digital National Security Archive (DNSA) Declassified government documents covering U.S. policy toward critical world events – including their military, intelligence, diplomatic and human rights dimensions – from 1945 to the present. Each collection features chronologies, glossaries, bibliographies, and scholarly overviews of international issues.
Egypt and the Rise of Nationalism: 1840–1927 Coverage: 1840–1927
Eighteenth Century Collections Online The collection captures the essence of the Enlightenment in Great Britain between 1701 and 1800. It covers a wide range of subjects including history, geography, arts, literature, law, science, medicine, philosophy, religion and more. Availability: Full-text Date Coverage: 1700s
Gale Primary Sources Gale Primary Sources is a universal research experience that combines Gale's digital archives in a single cross-search interface. The platform allows the use of multiple search options and research tools to search across the variety of archives accessible to the subscribing institution. Users may select one, all, or a combination of accessible databases to search. Availability: Full-text Date Coverage: Varies

Reference Works such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks ...

Provide you with background information on your topic (definitions, biographies, dates, key facts...). Use those resources if you know little information about your topic or you are starting a search on a new topic.

Core Encyclopedias

The Dictionary of Anthropology by Thomas Barfield (Editor)
Call Number: J 306:D554b
Publication Date: 1998
The Dictionary of Anthropology is designed to become the standard reference guide to the discipline of social and cultural anthropology. Its core consists of substantial analytical articles focusing on key anthropological concepts, theories and methodologies.
Encyclopedia of Anthropology by H. James Birx (Editor)
Call Number: J 301.03:E563b
Publication Date: 2005
This five-volume Encyclopedia of Anthropology is a unique collection of over 1,000 entries that focuses on topics in physical/biological anthropology, archaeology, cultural/social anthropology, linguistics, and applied anthropology. Also included are relevant articles on geology, paleontology, biology, evolution, sociology, psychology, philosophy, and theology.

Use Sage Knowledge to search a collection of encyclopedias, books and videos.

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Citing Your Sources

Citing your sources is an important step in writing and submitting your research paper. It gives credit to the author and work you are referring to.

Failing to do so will result in Plagiarism.

Which Documentation Style to Use?

Styles commonly used at AUB are APA, MLA and Turabian. If you are not sure which citation style you should use, ask your instructor.

For sample styles check the following guides:

MLA (9th edition) and APA (7th edition) guides from Massey University - OWLL.
APA 7th edition, MLA, etc... formatting and style guides from Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab)

For more sample styles, click here.