Wikipedia?
You already know how helpful it is to get some background information on your research topics. Wikipedia is often the default because it's so easy to find an entry and the entries are often helpful.
That said, the quality and reliability of Wikipedia entries are not things you can count on. In addition, most Cornell instructors will tell you that you cannot cite wikipedia entries.
The rules for a good Wikipedia entry are: No statements of opinion and every statement of fact must be referenced to a source. A Wikipedia entry is only as good as they sources it cites. Follow the source notes to verify the information.
For this course, you may want to browse or search some of the library's online subject encyclopedias listed here. Admittedly, they are not as easy to search, but the quality of the entries is often worth the effort. In addition, the entries are signed by the author and include a citation.
Selected Reference titles on Colonialism
-
The Routledge Handbook of the History of Settler Colonialism by Publication Date: 2016"... explores the ways in which new polities were established in freshly discovered 'New Worlds', and covers the history of many countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Israel, Japan, South Africa, Liberia, Algeria, Canada, and the USA .... focuses on an extensive array of topics and regions ranging from settler colonialism in the Neo-Assyrian and Roman empires, to relationships between indigenous and newcomers in New Spain and the early Mexican republic, to the settler-dominated polities of Africa during the twentieth century." [preface] -
The International Studies EncyclopediaSee the entry on:
The Colonial Encounter and Its Legacy
Subscription includes online access to: The International Studies Compendium Project. The International Studies Compendium Project, published in association with the International Studies Association, is available online (International studies online) or as a 12-volume set in print (The International Studies Encyclopedia). This resource is the most comprehensive reference work of its kind for the fields of international studies and international relations. International studies online is enhanced by live links to archives, datasets, cases, pedagogical aids, and other -
Encyclopedia of Western Colonialism since 1450Publication Date: 2006-08-25This is a print title in the Olin Reference Collection, but we have temporary emergency access to a digitized version, via HathiTrust. The overseas empires of Western Europe, including the US first as colony then as colonizer, is deemed here to have ended in the middle to late 20th century. Over 400 articles provide information about such aspects as economic concepts and ideas, explorations and migrations, industries, organizations and institutions, people and peoples, religions,
The digitized edition of the Encyclopedia of Western Colonialism, above, is available via Emergency Temporary Access from HathiTrust. Scroll down the record and select a link. (It doesn't have to say "Cornell!"), then scroll to the top and "Check Out."
-
The Palgrave Handbook of African Colonial and Postcolonial History by Publication Date: 2018"... modern African history, ranging from the economy, the two world wars, nationalism, decolonization, and postcolonial politics to religion, development, sexuality, and the African youth experience. Contributors are drawn from numerous fields in African studies, including art, music, literature, education, and anthropology." [adapted from preface]
More titles ...
-
The Routledge Handbook of Latin American Development by Publication Date: 2018-12-07The volume draws on contributions from across the humanities and social sciences and, unlike earlier volumes of this kind, explicitly highlights the disruptions to the field being brought by a range of anti-capitalist, decolonial, feminist, and ontological intellectual contributions. The chapters consider in depth the harms and suffering caused by various oppressive forces, as well as the creative and often revolutionary ways in which ordinary Latin Americans resist, fight back, and work to construct development defined broadly as the struggle for a better and more dignified life. The book covers many key themes including development policy and practice; neoliberalism and its aftermath; the role played by social movements in cities and rural areas; the politics of water, oil, and other environmental resources; indigenous and Afro-descendant rights; and the struggles for gender equality. [preface] -
Routledge Handbook of Pan-Africanism by Publication Date: 2020-04-30Includes ... "chapters on neo-colonialism, decolonization, and Africanization [giving way to] chapters on African social movements, the African Union, and the African Renaissance.
