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Cultural Studies: Medieval Africa

Introduction to research and resources to support the Cultural Studies Winter '23 project on Medieval Africa. For questions or help please reach out to Ms. Sinai at asinai@lawrenceville.org

Getting Started

 


Mansa Musa Illustration, Spanish Map of West Africa. The Art Archive at Art Resource. NY. Accessed December 2, 2023. online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=17344&itemid=WE49&iid=48349.

To access databases and other library services from home, you will be prompted to sign-in through Lawrenceville's EZproxy. When you click link for a Bunn database or service, the log-in screen (pictured below) will appear.
  • Username: first part of your email address (before the @lawrenceville.org). Example: asinai
  • Password: your email password
Having trouble with access? Email dgeary@lawrenceville.org and include a description or screenshot of your issue. 

Tertiary (Background) Sources

Understanding the Basics: Background Reading


Link to recommended reference sources from your teachers (start here!)
Online Collections from Bunn Library:
Encyclopedia Britannica: Includes the complete encyclopedia, as well as a Merriam-Webster dictionary and thesaurus. The Internet Guide provides links to recommended websites.
Facts on File: Ancient and Medieval History: Ancient and Medieval History offers a comprehensive look at world history from the origins of human society through the mid-fifteenth century. Includes both reference/background and primary sources. 
Gale eBooks: Use quotation marks “” around multiple words to search for key phrases.
Gale in Context: World History: Covers modern world history, with full-text articles and primary sources. Includes reference, secondary, and primary sources. 
Suggested Articles to Explore: 
Ghana, Mali, and Songhai from Facts on File Ancient and Medieval History
Swahili Coast from Facts on File Ancient and Medieval History
Suggested Encyclopedias to Explore: 

Secondary Source Collections

Interpretation and Analysis: Secondary Sources

Link to recommended secondary sources (books) from your teachers - start here! 
Library Databases:
Gale in Context: World History: Covers modern world history, with full-text articles and primary sources. Includes reference, secondary, and primary sources. 
JSTOR: A highly selective digital library of academic content in many formats and disciplines. Use the Advanced Search and limit to Articles and Books.
ProQuest Databases: A vast library of periodicals (newspapers, magazines, and scholarly journals) covering a wide range of subjects. To search, select the Full Text checkbox so that your results yield only material that you can access, and use filters to limit results to scholarly articles.
Books from the Library Catalog:
  • Bunn Library Catalog: Access Bunn Library's print and ebook collection. Start with a "subject keyword" search.
  • Proquest eBook Central: Filter your results using limiters and change your search terms according to your topic. 
To find a book, search the Bunn Library Catalog. Use the General Keyword search to broaden your results. For a narrower focus, search the catalog by Subject Keyword using the drop-down menu. To start your search, explore the subject heading Africa -- History -- to 1498
To find books in the stacks, look at the call number:
  • 000-699: Lower Level
  • 800-899: Main Floor, next to Fiction
  • 700-799, 900-999: Second Floor
Have a useful book in hand?
  • Look at the Index for additional keywords and locate where they are discussed in your book. 
  • Check the Bibliography for additional sources that are connected to your topic.
Suggested Books to Explore: 

Primary Sources

Integrating Historical Evidence: Primary Sources
 

Online Collections from Bunn Library:
Facts on File: Ancient and Medieval History: Ancient and Medieval History offers a comprehensive look at world history from the origins of human society through the mid-fifteenth century. Includes both reference/background and primary sources. 
Gale in Context: World History: Covers modern world history, with full-text articles and primary sources. Includes reference, secondary, and primary sources. 
Primary Sources Resources from the Web:
The Gold Road: From Howard University. Includes great visuals and mapping at the core of the display. 
Swahili Cities of East Africa: from Portuguese trader Duarte Barbarosa, describing Swahili States.
Kingdom of Mali Primary Sources: The following description of the visit to Cairo in 1324 by the King of Mali, Mansa Musa, was written by Al-Umari, who visited Cairo several years after the Mansa Musa’s visit.
The Travels of Ibn Battuta: From UC Berkeley. this site highlights the regions of travel Batutta visited, and within each section there are primary source excerpts; there is a section about East Africa as well as the Kingdom of Mali.
Kingdom of Ghana Primary Sources: Writing of Al-Bakri, a member of a prominent Spanish Arab family who lived during the 11th century. A Muslim geographer, he lived most of his life in Cordova and Almeria, and never left Islamic Spain. He wrote about the Sahara after gathering information from merchants and other visitors. 
Travels of Ibn Battuta: from the Fordham University Medieval History Sourcebook. Scroll to find mentions of Mali and West Africa, East Africa, etc. 
Primary Source Collections from the Library Catalog: