Subject Guides
Africana Studies
Archives at Binghamton
Special Collections at Binghamton University
Binghamton University Libraries' Special Collections includes a number of excellent resources for the study of peoples of African descent. The items can only be viewed in person between 10am-4pm Monday-Friday. Contact speccoll@binghamton.edu with any questions or requests.
- The William J. Haggerty Collection of French Colonial History
This collection corresponds to the library of the Comité Central Français pour l'Outre-Mer, primarily focusing on French colonies in Africa from the late-19th to mid-20th centuries. The collection is largely in French, with limited materials in other languages. Locate individual items in the library catalog by searching for the subject “Haggerty Collection.”
- Institute for Development Anthropology Collection
This collection includes both the Institute’s reports as well as a number of books, journals, newsletters, and other materials related to anthropological development issues in Africa, and to a lesser extent in the African diaspora. To locate materials in this collection using Find It! simply search for “Institute for Development Anthropology” and any other keyword of interest.
- Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Special Collections has a first edition of this important work.
- The Loften Mitchell Collection
Loften Mitchell was a prominent African American playwright and Professor of Theater and Afro-American Studies at Binghamton University. His personal papers include scripts, reviews, lecture notes, and memorabilia.
Primary Sources
- Archives UnboundIncludes dozens of rare primary source documents organized by topic/ focus which span European colonialism, 1960s social movements, womens' rights, African-American civil rights, the Holocaust, and the Tiananmen Square protest.
- Nineteenth Century Collections Online
A digital collection of books, manuscripts, newspapers, photographs, ephemera, and maps that cover politics and society, literature, spirituality, technology and more.
- Black Studies CenterHistorical and current material for researching the past, present and future of African Americans, the wider African Diaspora, and Africa itself. Materials includes newspapers, dissertations, abolitionist papers, and oral interviews. See the Binghamton University Libraries Center for the 1960s.
- Human Rights Studies OnlineA research and learning database providing comparative documentation, analysis, and interpretation of major human rights violations and atrocity crimes worldwide from 1900 to 2010. The collection includes primary and secondary materials across multiple media formats and content types for each selected event.
Resources Outside of Our Library
- Africa Focus: SIghts and Sounds of a ContinentA series of digital collections from the University of Wisconsin, Africa Focus includes both primary and secondary sources related to the study of Africa. Collections include more than 3000 slides, 500 photographs, 50 hours of sound, and digitized texts on Africa
- African American Women Writers of the 19th Center (Schomburg Center)A digital collection of works by 52 authors. Option to keyword search. Includes fiction, poetry, and essays. Some early-20th century works are also included.
- African American Odyssey (Library of Congress)Digital collections relating to the fight for citizenship, Jackie Robinson, Fredrick Douglass, and slavery. For other digital collections, including sheet music and other photographs, see the Library of Congress Subject List
- American Museum Congo Expedition, 1909-1915multimedia website documents the expedition to the Congo led by the American Museum of Natural History. Includes biographies of the major players, academic texts about the expedition from the anthropological, zoological, and historical perspectives. Includes digitized maps, watercolors, short videos and audio recordings, photographs of preserved specimens in their collection, and excerpts from the field diaries.
- Documenting the American SouthTexts, audio clips, and images that focus on the African-American experience in the South, with particular attention given to North Carolina. Great online source for primary documents.
- Freedom's JournalThe full run (1827-1829) of Freedom's Journal, the first newspaper that was owned and operated by African-Americans in the United States.
- National Museum of African American History and CultureIncludes digital collections of photographs on the Civil Rights movement and black resistance, as well as audio files from Story Corps.
- Nordic Documentation on the Liberation Struggle in Southern Africa ProjectBrowse digitized interviews, posters, photographs, newspaper clippings, and publications on the topic. Website in English. Also contains information about archival holdings, and these are chiefly in Nordic languages.
- Schomburg Center for Research in Black CulturePreeminent collection of archival material on the experience of people of African descent. Particularly strong in African American experiences, and to a lesser extent Caribbean experiences. Includes significant materials on the Harlem Renaissance, as well as excellent collections of photographs, art and artifacts, and sound recordings relating to black culture.
- Slavery & Abolition in the US: Selected Publications of the 1800sDigital collection of books and pamphlets about slavery in the United States from the 19th century.
