Keywords Projects
The University of Pittsburgh and Jesus College, University of Cambridge run a Keywords project which builds on Raymond Williams' original project, which you may read about in the Introduction to the First Edition (1976) of Keywords and in Williams' short talk about the Keywords project. Here are a couple of relevant links:
- What is a "Keyword"?"A 'keyword', in the sense in which we investigate keywords on this website, is a socially prominent word (e.g. art, industry, media or society) that is capable of bearing interlocking, yet sometimes contradictory and commonly contested contemporary meanings . . ."
- Text"In the beginning was the word, now there is [the] text. The meanings of this widely used and problematic term follow a media transformation that has taken place over the past century, from script through print to communication by words-on-screen . . ."
The Chicago School of Media Theory runs a Keywords website that has many entries of interest to this course. Here is the
full list of keywords, and below, you will find a few links to check out from their website:
- language"With etymological history tracing the roots of the word 'language' back to the Middle English, Old French and Latin words for 'tongue,' [1] the very nature of language is tied to ideas of communication and expression . . ."
- representation"The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) presents eight definitions for the term 'representation' demonstrating that the concept of representation embodies a range of meanings and usages dipping into mathematical, scientific, political, and legal discourses . . ."
- speech"Speech is one of the oldest mediums. It is created through voice and sound, yet it is a specific subset of sound produced by the voice . . ."
- writing"Writing can be defined both by its material aspects as well as by its place in the media world and as a social practice . . ."
Library Catalog
HOLLISHOLLIS is the library's main search interface. It includes the Harvard library catalog as well as a huge (and more heterogeneous) collection of citations for a variety of materials, including articles and book chapters. HOLLIS does not search the full-text of books and articles, though you find occasional exceptions.
Find Background and Contextual Materials
The Cambridge Companion to Modern Indian Culture by Provides accounts of literature, theatre, film, modern and popular art, music, television and food; it also explores in detail social divisions, customs, communications and daily life. This volume will help the reader understand the continuities and fissures within Indian culture and some of the conflicts arising from them. Throughout, what comes to the fore is the extraordinary richness and diversity of modern Indian culture.
The Cambridge Companion to World Literature by Provides a lucid and accessible account of the fundamental issues and concepts in world literature, including the problems of imagining the totality of literature; comparing literary works across histories, cultures and languages; and understanding how literary production is affected by forces such as imperialism and globalization. Subjects covered include cosmopolitanism, transnationalism, internationalism, scale and systems, sociological criticism, translation, scripts, and orality. Also includes original analyses of genres and forms.
The Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and CriticismAn alphabetically arranged survey of literary criticism and theory, with entries for individuals, critical topics, movements, theories, and contributions of specific countries and periods. Includes bibliographies and indexes to related entries at the end of each entry. International in scope. Use the Table of Contents to view the list of entries (for example, there is an entry on Indian Theory and Criticism), or search.
Oxford Bibliographies OnlineAnnotated bibliographies to the major scholarship on specific authors, literary themes, genres and movements. Includes a bibliography on literary and critical theory. Browse by subject or search for a specific article.
Reference Works: Literature Online (LION)Search across multiple encyclopedias for in-depth discussions of literary genres, theories, periods, and geographies. Tip: Use the general search box and refine your results by content type "Reference" or "Authors."
Dictionary of American Regional EnglishThis dictionary strives to represent the full panoply of American regional vocabulary, and has long been consulted by a wide range of scholars interested not only in words, but in usages and pronunciations.
Digital Dictionaries of South AsiaIncludes online dictionaries for Bengali, Hindi, Kannada, Manipuri, Pali, Sanskrit, Tamil, Urdu, and other South Asian languages.
Oxford English DictionaryWidely accepted as the most complete record of the English language ever assembled. Unlike typical language dictionaries, which only define words in terms of their current uses and meanings, the OED is a historical dictionary. Each entry lists a word's changing meanings (including those now obsolete), and illustrates those changes with quotations from literary texts and other historical records.
South Asian DialectsClick the link above to view digitally available holdings in HOLLIS of books that chronicle and discuss dialects of Hindi, Bengali, or Urdu.
Encyclopedia of Asian American Folklore and Folklife by This comprehensive compilation of entries documents the origins, transmissions, and transformations of Asian American folklore and folklife. Topics and theories are examined from crosscultural and interdisciplinary perspectives to add to the value of the work. Volume 3 of the 2011 edition includes an article on Vernacular Language, Speech, and Manner (p. 176-177) among Asian Americans, including many from the South Asian diaspora. It may be requested digitally, via Scan & Deliver.- Books of South Asian Proverbs (various), linked from HOLLIS Library CatalogClick the link above to view holdings in HOLLIS of South Asian proverbs. You may wish to review the search used and modify it with alternative terms. While you may show online results using the "online" refinement on the right side of the HOLLIS screen, please eyeball all of the results first to identify those that may be available online via HathiTrust (these usually won't show up when the online refinement is utilized). Note: While the Harvard Libraries are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some of the titles you will find after clicking this link are temporarily available for Check Out via HathiTrust. Step-by-step instructions. In addition to the sources listed on the page linked here, you may find more proverbs by searching the databases listed in the "Find Scholarly Articles" category on this guide.
Anthropology OnlineBrings together a wide range of written ethnographies, field notes, seminal texts, memoirs, and contemporary studies, covering human behavior the world over, including previously unpublished material from major archives.
eHRAF World CulturesThis database contains background information on different ethnic graoups, as well as many ethnographies and other books and articles.To find ethnographies first select "Browse Cultures." Locate the group you are interested in and then click Collection Documents to view works (including ethnographies) about that group.
Ethnographic Video OnlineA large video streaming library of ethnographic films and documentaries, this database contains classic and contemporary ethnographies, documentaries and shorts from every continent
Indian Anthropologist by A journal of international repute, the Indian Anthropologist is the major organ of the IAA. The journal reflects in its pages the range and diversity of contemporary research and writing on the Anthropology of India.
Digitized Card Catalog, LC shelflist. G7530 Saudi Arabia - G7654 India by Includes catalog records for several maps, many of which are not cataloged in HOLLIS. Scroll down to see the Harvard Library holdings records for maps of India. For questions about accessing any of these collections, contact maps@harvard.edu.
A Historical Atlas of South Asia by The conversion and presentation of this atlas for the Digital South Asia Library was sponsored by the University of Chicago and the U.S. Department of Education.
Maps of South Asia: An Organized Collection (Maps from BCE to c. 1990s) by Assembled by Dr. Frances W. Pritchett, Professor Emerita of Modern Indic Languages
Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies, Columbia University- Online Maps of India and South Asia in Harvard's Collections by This links to search results in HOLLIS for online maps of India or of South Asia in general. You may change the search parameters to explore further (such as by selecting a narrower date range with the refinement options on the right, or by searching for a specific country in South Asia by name). For questions about accessing any of these collections, contact maps@harvard.edu.
Find Scholarly Articles
While these databases are online and contain many full text materials, you may sometimes encounter citations without a link to full text. In these cases, there is often an option for obtaining the full text, whether through a scanning or borrowing service. Please ask Ramona.
Academic Search PremierA multi-disciplinary database that includes citations and abstracts from over 4,700 scholarly publications (journals, magazines and newspapers). Full text is available for more than 3,600 of the publications and is searchable.
AnthroSourceProvides current content from AAA's diverse portfolio of 35 anthropological publications which includes journals, books, monographs, bulletins and newsletters.
Arts & Humanities Citation Index (via Web of Science)Arts & Humanities Citation Index, published by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI), is a multidisciplinary database covering the journal literature of the arts and humanities.It indexes 1,100 of the world's leading arts and humanities journals, as well as covering individually selected, relevant items from over 7,000 major science and social science journals. Because the information stored about each article includes the article's cited reference list (often called its bibliography), you can also search the database for articles that cite a known author or work.
Bibliography of Asian StudiesIndexes more than 545,000 records on all subjects related to East, Southeast, and South Asia from 1971 to the present (primary disciplines covered are in the humanities and social sciences). Note well that monographs published since 1992 have not been added to the database, so for books in these areas please consult other databases (such as HOLLIS or WorldCat).
Cross-Asia Repository (xasia)A full text, open-access platform for research literature in Asian Studies (including South and Southeast Asian Studies) contributed by academics from all over the world.
JSTORProvides page images of back issues of the core scholarly journals in the humanities, social sciences, and basic sciences from the earliest issues to within a few years of current publication. Users may browse by journal title or discipline, or may search the full-text or citations/abstracts. New issues of existing titles and new titles are added approximately on a weekly basis. Nota bene: In the "Advanced Search," you may limit your search to retrieving articles in one or more subject areas, including Asian studies, language & literature, and folklore.
MLA International BibliographyConsists of bibliographic records pertaining to literature, language, linguistics, and folklore, and includes coverage from 1963 to the present. The MLA International Bibliography provides access to scholarly research in over 3,000 journals and series. It also covers relevant monographs, working papers, proceedings, bibliographies, and other formats.