Tips
Encyclopedias are great for:
- choosing a topic
- quick self-education
- perspective on a topic
- variant spellings, vocabulary, terminology
- bibliography
Cambridge Histories Online
Excellent resource. Full text. Chapters as pdfs. Extremely high quality essays with rich footnotes and bibliography.
Superior to Wikipedia on most topics & disciplines:
OBO
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Oxford Bibliographies: Islamic StudiesOffers peer-reviewed annotated bibliographies on the range of lived experiences and textual traditions of Muslims as they are articulated in various countries and regions throughout the world. Bibliographies are browseable by subject area and keyword searchable. Contains a "My OBO" function that allows users to create personalized bibliographies of individual citations from different bibliographies.
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BrillOnline ReferenceExcellent collection of reference works with strong coverage of the Middle East, including The Encyclopaedia of Islam.
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Oxford Islamic Studies OnlineA collection of English-language reference resources on the Islamic world.
Specialized Encyclopedias
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Encyclopaedia of IslamStandard invaluable reference work. Contains signed articles by scholars. Includes entries on foreign countries in which Islam is important.
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The Oxford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Science, and Technology in Islam
Publication Date: 2014Provides both an overview and a comprehensive and detailed survey of the main features of philosophy, science, medicine and technology in the Muslim world. -
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Politics
Publication Date: 2014Provides in-depth coverage of the political dimensions of Islam and the Muslim world. -
The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World
Publication Date: 2009Institutions, religion, politics, and culture in Muslim societies throughout the world. -
Routledge Handbook of Persian Gulf Politics
Publication Date: 2020Comprehensive and up-to-date analysis of Persian Gulf politics, history, economics, and society. -
Routledge Handbook of Middle East Politics
Publication Date: 2020Drawing on various perspectives and analysis, the Handbook problematizes Middle East politics through an interdisciplinary prism, seeking a melioristic account of the field. Thematically organized, the chapters address political, social, and historical questions by showcasing both theoretical and empirical insights, all of which are represented in a style that ease readers into sophisticated induction in the Middle East. -
Cultural Sociology of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa
Publication Date: 2012Topics are explored within historical context, in three broad historical periods: prehistory to 1250, 1250 to 1920 and 1920 to the present. -One volume each is devoted to the regions of the Middle East and Africa and then one volume to East and Southeast Asia and a final volume to West, Central and South Asia.