HIST 491C / LAS 450/ AMS 490 / Africana 406: Race and Racism in the Americas (Spring 2024)

The W&M Library looks small from outside, but the collection of books is massive (part of the library is underground, and we use high-density shelving).

Getting Started

1. Write out your topic
2. Identify key terms
3. Consider synonyms
4. Use BOOLEAN to make a search command
5. Search. Pay attention to subject headings & keywords used by other authors.
6. Revise and try again!

TIPS

• Keep it simple. Try basic searches 
• Pay attention to Chapters.
• Remember to Limit to books and ebooks
• Use Boolean!
• When you find a useful search in our catalog, use it in WorldCat too!

• Experience of people of color on the Titanic
• Role of Irish Immigrants and Black Americans in the 1863 Draft Riots in NY
• Use of lyrics in the trial of Jeffrey Williams (Young Thug)
• Intentional misrepresentation and devaluation of Caribbean Music by European Colonist, and later acceptance and incorporation by white artists
• superhumanization of Black people in rhetoric, possibly related to Nat Turner
• Racism and Medicine, as reflected by exploitation and experimentation on Black and/or enslaved persons
• Race relations at William & Mary, possibly related to fraternities and sororities
• Linguistic racism
• Race, class, and politics as represented through Jay-Z (Shawn Corey Carter)
• Criminalization of rap and hip-hop, as reflected in trail of Jeffrey Williams (Young Thug)
• Relationship and rift between 
• W.E.B. Du Bois and the NAACP
• Haitian migration the US 1992-4 and American racialization of Haitian immigrants

• The experiences of people of color on the Titanic
• Role of Irish Immigrants and Black Americans in the 1863 Draft Riots in NY
• Use of lyrics in the trial of Jeffrey Williams (Young Thug)
• Intentional misrepresentation and devaluation of Caribbean Music by Europeans, and later acceptance and incorporation by white artists
• superhumanization of Black people in rhetoric, possibly related to Nat Turner
• Racism and Medicine, as reflected by exploitation and experimentation on Black and/or enslaved persons
• Race relations at William & Mary, possibly related to fraternities and sororities
• Linguistic racism
• Race, class, and politics as represented through Jay-Z (Shawn Corey Carter)
• Criminalization of rap and hip-hop, as reflected in trail of Jeffrey Williams (Young Thug)
• Relationship and rift between W.E.B. Du Bois and the NAACP
• Haitian migration the US 1992-4 and American racialization of Haitian immigrants

Search the following, limited to books and ebooks, in:

• The experiences of people of color on the Titanic
  • titanic AND ("persons of color" OR "Black people" OR Laroche OR Indian*)
    • No results in our catalog, some in WorldCat if you search Titanic as a Subject
    • Probably an article level topic
    • May need to be broader to  
    • (steamship* OR "ocean liners") AND ("persons of color" OR Blacks OR African* OR racism)

• Role of Irish Immigrants and Black Americans in the 1863 Draft Riots in NY
  • "Irish" AND (black* OR "African americans") AND "draft riots" AND ("Civil war" OR 1863)
    • This search doesn't work in our catalog but works excellently in Worldcat
    • In our catalog, try
      • (Irish OR black* OR "African americans") AND "draft riots" AND ("Civil war" OR 1863)

• Use of lyrics in the trial of Jeffrey Williams (Young Thug)
  • ("Jeffrey Williams" OR "Young Thug")
    • ​​​​​​​no results in worldcat or catalog -- probably too specific and too recent.
    • Broaden to:
    • (rap OR rapper*) AND lyrics AND (trial* OR court OR "legal proceedings")
      • ​​​​​​​there are actually books in our catalog and in worldcat

• Intentional misrepresentation and devaluation of Caribbean Music by Europeans, and later acceptance and incorporation by white artists
  • ​​​​​​​"Caribbean Music"  brings up no results in Worldcat. May need to be more specific and focus on one genre.
    • ​​​​​​​(mambo OR calypso) AND (white* OR american OR european) AND appropriation
    • May may need to start with broader searches like
    • Calypso AND history AND music

• superhumanization of Black people in rhetoric, possibly related to Nat Turner
  • ​​​​​​​superhumaniz* AND (black* OR "African americans")
    • ​​​​​​​no results on catalog, some in worldcat
    • Looks like a new topic, many be an article length topic
    • possibly broaden to 
      • (fetishiz* OR dehumanize) AND (body OR bodies) AND (black* OR "african americans")

• Racism and Medicine, as reflected by exploitation and experimentation on Black and/or enslaved persons
  • ​​​​​​​(blacks OR enslaved OR "African americans") AND (medicine OR medical) AND (exploit* OR experiment*)
    • ​​​​​​​will need to narrow focus
  • Example: a few years ago One of Dr. Turits' studied  "utilization of black bodies specifically in the context of graverobbing by medical institutions in need of cadavers". That search was:

    • (Black* OR "African-american*" OR "African american*") AND (graverobb* OR "grave robb*" OR cadav*)

• Race relations at William & Mary, possibly related to fraternities and sororities
  • (​​​​​​​Race OR racism) AND ("william and mary" OR "William & Mary") AND (fraternit* OR sororit* OR "Greek life")
    • ​​​​​​​There are a lot of dissertations coming up a false hits, but books of interest too
    • Suggest broadening beyond WM with
    • (​​​​​​​Race OR racism) AND ("higher education" OR "Education, higher" OR "universities") AND (fraternit* OR sororit* OR "Greek life")
    • Look at books about WM itself, in the catalog as a Subject  search try 
      • College of William & Mary -- History
      • College of William & Mary -- Students

• Linguistic racism
  • Will need to be more specific
  • As a starting point:
    • "Linguistic racism" OR "language racism" OR (sociolinguistics AND racism)

• Race, class, and politics as represented through Jay-Z (Shawn Corey Carter)
  • ​​​​​​​("Jay-Z" OR "Jay Z" OR "shawn Corey Carter" OR "shawn carter") AND (Race OR class OR politic*)
  • you can also search Jay-Z, 1969-   as a subject

• Criminalization of rap and hip-hop, as reflected in trail of Jeffrey Williams (Young Thug)
  • As noted above, no books about Williams specifically. Suggest broadening to
  • ​​​​​​​(rap OR rapper* OR "hip-hop" OR "hip hop") AND (criminalization OR demanization)
    • ​​​​​​​Some interesting and recent material in WorldCat

• Relationship and rift between W.E.B. Du Bois and the NAACP
  • ​​​​​​​(NAACP OR "National Association for the Advancement of Colored People") AND "du bois"
    • ​​​​​​​no results in the catalog but a LOT in worldcat.
      • ​​​​​​​pay attention to chapters, not book titles

​​​​​​​

• Haitian migration the US 1992-4 and American racialization of Haitian immigrants
  • ​​​​​​​haitian* AND (immigration OR immigrant* OR migration OR migrant* OR refugees) AND racialization