Research Guides: History Research Guide: Islamic History

Islamic History: Introduction

This guide will help you find published scholarship (essays, books, chapters, journal articles, etc.) and primary source material on a topic.

Choose a topic that interests you and fits within your assignment's parameters.
Read good summaries of the topic in subject encyclopedias, like those listed below, to gain a basic overview of your topic.
Search for published scholarship in library discovery systems, catalogs, databases, scholarly & research organizations, etc.
Identify primary source material (e. g. documents & records, art & artifacts, personal narratives & memoirs, data & statistics, maps & charts, photographs & illustrations, etc.) through your scholarly readings, and by searching or browsing the digital collections of libraries, archives, museums, and other scholarly & research organizations.

Remember to evaluate the accuracy of your sources, and think critically about their content and arguments.

For remote login to the Library's electronic resources, see our instructions for Off-Campus Access.

Remember to talk about your project with your instructor in the History Department!

Reference Essays (from Encyclopedias & Dictionaries)

Subject encyclopedias and other reference guides can provide good background information on a topic. Many reference books are in printed format, while others are available in electronic resource collections such as:

Gale eBooks (formerly Gale Virtual Reference Library)

Oxford Reference

Berg Fashion Library This link opens in a new window
Berg Fashion Library is a collection within Bloomsbury Fashion Central. It is invaluable for researchers in the areas of fashion, museum studies, cultural studies, anthropology, and more.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.

Arab Women Writers by Radwa Ashour (Editor); Ferial Ghazoul (Editor); Hasna Reda-Mekdashi (Editor)
ISBN: 9789774161469
Publication Date: 2008-11-01
"Arab women's writing in the modern age began with 'A'isha al-Taymuriya, Warda al-Yaziji, Zaynab Fawwaz, and other nineteenth-century pioneers in Egypt and the Levant. This unique study-first published in Arabic in 2004-looks at the work of those pioneers and then traces the development of Arab women's literature through the end of the twentieth century, and also includes a meticulously researched, comprehensive bibliography of writing by Arab women."
Biographical Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa
ISBN: 1414418892
Publication Date: 2007-10-12
Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Westen Cultures by H. Selin (Editor)
ISBN: 1402049609
Publication Date: 2008-03-17
"It contains approximately 1000 entries dealing in depth with the history of the scientific, technological and medical accomplishments of cultures outside of the United States and Europe...This unique reference work includes intercultural articles on broad topics such as mathematics and astronomy as well as thoughtful philosophical articles on concepts and ideas related to the study of non-Western Science, such as rationality, objectivity, and method. You'll also find material on religion and science, East and West, and magic and science."
Encyclopaedia of the Qur'An - (A-D) by Jane Dammen McAuliffe (Editor)
ISBN: 9004114653
Publication Date: 2002-09-12
"The Qur'an is the primary religious text for one-fifth of the world's population and has been an object of reverence and of intense study for centuries. Drawing upon a rich scholarly heritage, Brill's Encyclopaedia of the Qur'an contains alphabetically arranged articles about the contents of the Qur'an. It is an encyclopedic dictionary of qur'anic terms, concepts, personalities, place names, cultural history, and exegesis extended with essays on the most important themes and subjects within qur'anic studies."
Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion by Valerie Steele
ISBN: 9780684313948
Publication Date: 2004-09-22
"From diapers to Dior, saris to serapes, the world of clothing is nearly as vast and as ancient as the human race. Tracing the stylistic and functional threads that unite clothing across time and cultures, as well as delving into the divergent styles and significance of apparel, this A to Z encyclopedia is the essential resource for exploring the relationship between culture and couture."
Encyclopedia of Gender and Society by Jodi O'Brien (Editor)
ISBN: 9781412909167
Publication Date: 2008-11-26
"A comprehensive, two-volume encyclopedia covering the major theories, research, people and issues in contemporary gender studies. The work will be distinguished by a cross-nationaloss-cultural perspective providing comparative analyses of life experiences of men and women around the world."
Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World by Richard C. Martin; Gale (Editor)
ISBN: 9780028662695
Publication Date: 2016-01-27
"The second edition of this well-received two-volume study of Islam updates and adds to its predecessor 40 percent new content. It updates and revises most of the original 500+ entries and adds new topics to reflect changes in the Muslim world since 2004..."
The Encyclopedia of National Dress by Jill Condra (Editor)
ISBN: 9780313376368
Publication Date: 2013-04-09
"This two-volume set presents information and images of the varied clothing and textiles of cultures around the world, allowing readers to better appreciate the richness and diversity of human culture and history. The contributors...examine clothing that is symbolic of the people who live in regions all over the world, providing a historical and geographic perspective that illustrates how people dress and explains the reasons behind the material, design, and style."
Encyclopedia of Religion
ISBN: 9780028657332
Publication Date: 2004-12-17
"Widely regarded as the standard reference work in the field. This second edition...will include almost all of the 2750 original entries - many heavily updated - as well as approximately 600 (1.2M words) entirely new articles. Preserving the best of Eliade's cross-cultural approach while emphasizing religion's role within everyday life and as a unique experience from culture to culture,.."
Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa
ISBN: 0028657691
Publication Date: 2004-06-01
"Updating the 1996 edition in light of many new developments (e.g., the failed Israeli-Palestinian negotiations in 2000, September 11th, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan), this new edition presents some 3,000 entries covering topics in fields such as politics, history, economics, religion."
Encyclopedia of Women's Folklore and Folklife by Liz Locke (Editor); Theresa A. Vaughan (Editor); Pauline Greenhill (Editor)
ISBN: 9780313340505
Publication Date: 2008-12-08
"From the stone age to the cyber age, women and men have experienced the world differently. Out of a cosmos of goddesses and she-devils, earth mothers and madonnas, witches and queens, saints and whores, a vast body of women's folklore has come into bloom. International in scope and drawing on more than 130 expert contributors, this encyclopedia reviews the myths, traditions, and beliefs central to women's daily lives. More than 260 alphabetically arranged entries cover the lore of women across time, space, and life."
Encyclopedia of Women and Islamic Cultures, Volume 1 by Suad Joseph (Editor)
ISBN: 9789004113800
Publication Date: 2003-12-19
A special feature of this six volume work is the first volume, devoted to an in-depth overview of all available research resources - an indispensable point of departure for scholars moving into gender studies and the Islamic world.
Historical Atlas of the Islamic World
ISBN: 0198609973
Publication Date: 2004
New Encyclopedia of Africa (5 vols., 2008)
ISBN: 9780684314549
Publication Date: 2007-10-08
Women's Roles in the Middle East and North Africa by Ruth Margolies Beitler; Angelica R. Martinez
ISBN: 9780313362408
Publication Date: 2010-04-09
"This concise, content-rich volume provides an overview of women's roles in the Middle East and North Africa from the advent of Islam to the present. Recent research shows that women in the Middle East and North Africa have played much larger roles in society than previously acknowledged. ...explores these roles from both historical and contemporary perspectives, describing and analyzing the lives of women in the regions from the advent of Islam through contemporary times."

Scholarly Books

: OneSearch; Search for printed and electronic scholarly books at QC and other CUNY libraries.
WorldCat: Search for scholarly books in the national catalog for the United States and Canada. Includes holdings from libraries in other parts of the world, primarily European or English-speaking.

Scholarly Journal Articles (Search Databases)

America: History & Life This link opens in a new window
Definitive index of literature covering the history and culture of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
Atla Religion Database This link opens in a new window
This database is an essential resource for religious and theological studies, providing bibliographic records covering topics such as biblical studies, world religions, church history, and religion in social issues.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
Google Scholar This link opens in a new window
Google Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature. Please sign to QC Library when prompted to browse articles within the Queens College Library collections.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
Remote access to Google Scholar may not always work. In such cases we advise that you follow the steps below or review the FAQ on Google Scholar
How to access QC subscribed articles via Google Scholar:
1.Access Google Scholar via the un-proxied version: Google Scholar
2. From the Menu Icon on the Top Left select Settings then Library Links
3. In Library Links, search for Queens College then select "Queens College --> Fulltext at QC"
4. SAVE and return to the Google Scholar Homepage
5. You should be able to search for articles. When you see the "Queens College --> Fulltext at QC", select to either be re-directed to the Library Catalogue, OneSearch or asked to login to the library proxy in order to access articles.
6. Please review the FAQ on logging into the library proxy.
Should you have any additional questions, please contact our Electronic Resources Librarian by completing the Electronic Resources Access Form.
Historical Abstracts This link opens in a new window
Historical Abstracts is the definitive full-text database covering world history (excluding the United States and Canada) from the 15th century to the present.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
Humanities Source This link opens in a new window
Humanities Source is a valuable full-text database covering literary, scholarly, and creative thought.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
JSTOR is a multi-disciplinary collection of scholarly journals and e-books that include primary sources, images, and more.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
JSTOR provided expanded access during the pandemic (June 2020-June 2023). Expanded access expires on June 30, 2023. CUNY will reinstate that access beginning in January 2024.You may review the Electronic Resources Status Dashboard for updates. Questions? Email: access-support@qc-cuny.libanswers.com or Open a Ticket!
Philosopher's Index This link opens in a new window
This current and comprehensive bibliographic database covers scholarly research in all major fields of philosophy.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
Project MUSE This link opens in a new window
Collection of scholarly journals and e-books, primarily in the humanities and social sciences.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch
Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson) This link opens in a new window
Social Sciences Full Text (H.W.Wilson) covers the latest concepts, theories, and methods from both applied and theoretical aspects of the social sciences.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
SocINDEX with Full Text This link opens in a new window
Provides full-text, Peer-Reviewed sociology journals covering many studies including gender studies, criminal justice, social psychology, racial studies, religion, and social work.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
Sociological Abstracts This link opens in a new window
Indexes the international literature of sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences; (1952-current).
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
Textile Technology Complete This link opens in a new window
This full-text database covers the scientific and technological aspects of textile production and processing.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.

Newspaper Articles

New York Times This link opens in a new window
Comprehensive digital coverage back to 1980. The complete text of recent articles is provided in ASCII format. The New York Times Book Review and Sunday Magazine are provided in PDF format.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
New York Times | Academic Pass This link opens in a new window
NYTimes.com Passes grant digital access to The New York Times.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
First-time users must register for an Academic Pass with an active Queens College e-mail address.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times This link opens in a new window
ProQuest Historical Newspapers is the definitive newspaper digital archive offering full-text and full-image articles for significant newspapers dating back to the 19th Century (1851-2018).
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
U.S. Newsstream This link opens in a new window
U.S. Newsstream enables users to search current U.S. news content (The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Newsday, and Chicago Tribune), as well as archives that stretch back into the 1980s.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
Wall Street Journal Academic Pass This link opens in a new window
The Wall Street Journal is an American business-focused, English-language international daily newspaper based in New York City.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch
Note: Use your Queens College email to create an account.
Professors and staff retain WSJ access for one year after activating and will be asked to re-activate in one year. Students creating accounts are required to input graduation date and year. This becomes the account expiration date. Students who graduate later than expected and lose access can always re-activate accounts. If you already have an account, call 1-800-568-7625 to switch from paid account to a Queens College account and receive a balance refund.

The Washington Post (1996 - present)
Text only (no images).

Primary Sources: Islamic History

Islamic History: Images

ARTSTOR This link opens in a new window
Artstor provides faculty and students with a complete image resource in a wide array of subjects with the breadth and depth to add context beyond the confines of your discipline.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
ArtStor is expected to be retired by August 1, 2024. For additional information please review the ER Dashboard.

Video

Alexander Street This link opens in a new window
Multidisciplinary content that is a good start for content in every discipline.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.

History Research Guide

Research Librarian