Reference Sources
If you are new to Chicana/o and/or Latinx Studies, I recommend checking encyclopedias and other reference sources to acquire some background information to help you develop your research question.
- Each ethnic group under the umbrella terms Chicana/o and/or Latinx Studies has different migration histories, and particular issues specific to that ethnic group related to health, education, voting, citizenship rights, labor, gender, etc.
- Understanding the similarities and differences among these groups (Mexican, Puerto Rican, Guatemalan, Cuban, etc.) will help you create better research questions and develop relevant keywords to search later on when you are looking for academic articles or books.
- You can also check out our Newspapers' Databases to learn more about current topics affecting these groups. If you need help, contact me!
- Latinx Civil Rights in the United States: A Resource GuideThis research guide from the Hispanic Division at the Library of Congress focuses on 20th-century court cases, legislation, and events that impacted the Latinx Civil Rights in the United States. Each page provides an overview and timeline of a civil rights topic and some breadth of research material for further study at the Library of Congress or your local library. The facts presented are drawn from the Library of Congress materials and external sources listed.
- American National Biography Online This link opens in a new windowThe American National Biography has biographies of men and women from all eras and walks to life, whose lives have shaped America. You can search by genres in American history: Black History, Women's History, Asian Pacific American Heritage, American Indian Heritage, and Hispanic Heritage. Search by topics in American history: American Literature, Arts in America, Black History, Civil Rights Movement, Civil War, Depression and New Deal, Frontier and Western Expansion, Gilded Age, Hispanic American Heritage, Native American Heritage, Women's History, and World War II.
- Gale in Context: Biography This link opens in a new windowBiography in Context (formerly known as Biography Resource Center) is a comprehensive database of biographical information on more than one million people from throughout history, around the world, and across all disciplines and subject areas. It combines over 600,000 biographies from over 170 sources, with over one million entries from the Complete Marquis Who's Who®. The database also includes full-text articles from nearly 250 periodicals. Search for people based on one or more personal facts such as birth and death years and places, nationality, ethnicity, occupation or gender, or combine criteria to create a highly-targeted custom search path.
- Dictionary of Literary Biography (DLB) This link opens in a new windowYou can use this biographical dictionary to find information about Chicana/o And Latinx writers and critical essays about the works and life.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas in the United States by ISBN: 9780195156003Publication Date: 2005-08-25The Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas in the United States offers comprehensive, reliable, and accessible information about the fastest growing minority population in the nation.
- Encyclopedia of American Studies This link opens in a new windowChicana/o and Latinx are part of American history! Check this database to understand how these groups are studied in the field of American Studies.
- Encyclopedia of Religion This link opens in a new windowYou can use this database to understand different religions practiced by the Chicana/o and/or Latinx community such as Santeria, Candomblé, Catholicism, etc.
- Oxford Research Encyclopedia of LiteratureThe Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Literature aims to map, over time, the world's entire landscape of literary expressions and criticism, bringing together the various fields and approaches that make up literature in its broadest sense. You can search for specific Chicana/o and/or Latinx authors.
Historical Dictionary of U.S. Latino Literature by ISBN: 9781442275492Publication Date: 2017-01-01U.S. Latino Literature is defined as Latino literature within the United States that embraces the heterogeneous inter-groupings of Latinos. This dictionary aims to rectify some of those misconceptions by proving that Latinos do fundamentally express American issues, concerns and perspectives with a flair in linguistic cadences, familial themes, distinct world views, and cross-cultural voices. The Historical Dictionary of U.S. Latino Literature contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography.
- Literary Sources from Gale This link opens in a new windowThis is an excellent database to find biographical information, literary criticism, books reviews and much more about Chicana/o and Latinx writers. Don't forget to search for the specific name of an author or the title of the literary text you want to learn about!
- Latino History at the National Museum of American HistoryPart of the Smithsonian museums. This site showcase the collections and resources available to study Latinos in the U.S.
- Revolution and Protest Online This link opens in a new windowYou can search this database to learn more about the Chicano/a movement, Black movement, Student protests in the US and the world, the Mexican Revolution, etc.
- America: History and LifeChicana/o and Latinx are part of American history! You can search this article to understand the history of the different ethnic groups that are part of the United States and Canada!
- Oxford Encyclopedia of Mesoamerican CultureA good place to start if you want to learn more about the indigenous people from Mesoamerica. Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area that spans from southern North America to most of Central America.
- Early Encounters in North America: Peoples, Cultures and the EnvironmentOver 40,000 pages of material centered on present-day Canada and the United States with some limited coverage of Mexico.
- Latino CaucusThe Latino Caucus represents all Latina/o persons connected with the discipline of political science and those directly interested in the purposes of the Latino Caucus.
- Pew Research Center--Hispanic/Latino VoteEssays about the current trends among Hispanic/Latino populations related to voting by the staff at the Pew Research Center
- Pew Research Center’s Hispanic TrendsAn excellent resource to learn about the diverse Hispanic population in the United States and to chronicle Latinos’ growing impact on the nation. The site has reports, essays and data in a wide variety of topics: economic, health, politics, history, etc.