English Multicultural Research Project: Historical and cultural information
This guide provides a collection of possible resources to help you conduct your research on a book from a non-American author
Researching culture
The resources on this page will help you find information about the cultural context of your novel. Remember to account for not just where the story takes place, but also when, and if there is any special population or demographic group that should be the focus of your research.
- Countries, Peoples & Cultures Collection This link opens in a new windowCountries, Peoples & Cultures is a 9-volume series offering the social, cultural, economic, historical and religious practices and beliefs of nearly every country around the globe.
- CultureGrams This link opens in a new windowIf prompted for credentials (off campus), please contact the Library for access.
Research the climate, population, religion, attitudes, customs, and lifestyle of countries around the world. Includes primary source cultural & statistical country reports, states and Canadian provinces, native recipes, interviews, photos and video. - Global Road Warrior This link opens in a new windowFeatures 174 country guides with 126 content modules each. Topics include culture & society, travel, education, history, holidays and festivals, language, media outlets, music, maps, money, national symbols, and religion. Contains downloadable illustrations with more than 30,000 photos, maps, and flag images.
- Modern World History Online This link opens in a new windowCovers the broad expanse of world history from the mid-15th century to the present, featuring thousands of documents, articles, timelines, images, videos, and maps, including biographies, images, videos and slideshows, maps and graphs, primary sources, and timelines.
- World Factbook This link opens in a new windowProvides information on the history, people and society, government, economy, energy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for over 275 entities (countries). The Reference tab includes: a variety of world, regional, country, ocean, and time zone maps; Flags of the World; and a Country Comparison function that ranks the country information and data in more than 75 Factbook fields.
- World Geography and Culture This link opens in a new windowUseful for the study of countries, cultures, and geography. Every country of the world is profiled in depth, with more than 40 entries and more than 100 statistical indicators covering all aspects of each nation’s geography, history, society, and culture. At-a-glance information, maps and flags, videos, images, audio recordings, gazetteer entries, biographies of famous people, a timeline, and current news supplement each country profile. Information for the U.S. states, Canadian provinces, and international territories is similarly detailed.
- World History: Gale in Context This link opens in a new windowProvides information on hundreds of the most significant people, events, and topics in world history. This database reaches back to the ancient world—and forward to today's headlines—to deliver a chronicle of the people, cultures, events, and societies that have formed the history of the human race. A range of topics such as Aztecs, Industrial Revolution, Silk Road, the Buddha, Space Race, and more provide a wide perspective across the globe.
- World History: Gale OneFile This link opens in a new windowProvides access to scholarly journals and magazines useful to both novice historians as well as advanced academic researchers. The database offers balanced coverage of events in world history and scholarly work being established in the field.