Reference Sources
Reference works like these -- known as subject encyclopedias, dictionaries, companions, introductions, or handbooks -- can be invaluable for providing an overview of a topic, as well as summarizing the scholarly conversation and pointing to key resources for further research.
- Colonialism: An International, Social, Cultural, and Political Encyclopedia Includes an excellent survey article on education, with a helpful bibliography
- Encyclopedia of Western Colonialism since 1450 Includes articles on education in various colonial regions, with good bibliographies
- Africa and the West - A Documentary History A fascinating array of primary sources, such as "The role of missionary education for Africans according to the Holy Ghost Fathers, 1858" and "A University for Africa, 1881." Also included are such unusual documents as Cecil Rhodes's will and a chart of the costs of African animals exported to Western zoos.