Middle East Resources

***Diana Hacker has published Research and Documentation Online, a Web-accessible guide that has a section on using primary and secondary historical sources in your research. It also includes a section on formatting citations in Chicago style. Check it out before you begin your research.***

Historical Dictionary of..... 1995-

Historical dictionaries for each country of the Middle East and North Africa and the Kurds are shelved in Reference stacks of the library. These frequently updated dictionaries include maps, chronologies of important events and government officials, biographies, and brief articles on organizations, political parties, and significant events. Occasionally, primary documents are included. Extensive bibliographies provide supplementary resources on history, politics, economy, demography, culture, population and society for each country.

Historical Atlas of the Middle East. 1993

Over 100 maps with commentary ranging in time from the ancient Middle East to the early 1990s. Arranged chronologically and grouped by periods including Arab Period, Muslim World, Crusaders and Muslims, Further Spread of Islam, Ottoman World, and Twentieth Century.

Encyclopaedia of Islam. 2nd ed. 12 vol. 1954-

Comprehensive encyclopedia with authoritative articles on the Islamic world including religion, politics and culture that focus on the pre-modern period. Each article is accompanied by a bibliography, many of which indicate the consultation of non-English primary sources.

Encyclopaedia Judaica. 22 vol. 2007

Contains articles written by international scholars on all aspects of Jewish life.

Dictionary of the Ancient Near East. 2000

Brief articles on culture and society covering the time period from Lower Palaeolithic to 539 B.C. Accompanying bibliographies direct the reader to authoritative resources on the topic. Appendix lists kings of the main dynasties chronologically.

Civilizations of the Ancient Near East. 4 vol. 1995

Encyclopedia arranged categorically, rather than alphabetically, into 11 sections. Topics include Ancient Near East and Western Thought, Environment, Population, Social Institutions, History and Culture, Economy and Trade, Technology and Artistic Production, Religion and Science, Language, Writing and Literature, Visual and Performing Arts, and Retrospective Essays. Main focus is on the civilizations that arose in Egypt, Syro-Palestine, Mesopotamia, and Anatolia. Articles are written by international scholars. Timeline of civilizations is included.

Middle East and North Africa. 1964 -

Published by Europa, this annual publication arranged by country provides a comprehensive survey of the current political and economic situation in each country, accompanied by a statistical survey. Survey essays within each volume have covered various topics such as Arab-Israeli Relations 1967- date, Iraq in Transition, Documents on Palestine, Islamist Movement in the Middle East and North Africa and Oil in the Middle East and North Africa.

Library of Congress Country Studies Series
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/cshome.html

Originally published between 1988 - 1998 to provide U.S. government officials and citizens with information about other countries. Each book provides the historical context for the geography, society, politics, foreign policy and economics of a country. For updated country profiles see Country Profiles.

For additional resources on country information, see Sara Nixon's Web page on
Country Information Sources.

Atlas of the Middle East. 2003

Published by National Geographic Society. Includes maps of nations, regional themes including physical geography, climate, water, oil, population, ethnic and linguistic groups, religion, development indicators, and regional conflicts from 1945-2002.

Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East & North Africa. 4 vol. 2004

Generally, brief articles, arranged alphabetically, written by Middle East scholars on culture and society, people, places, organizations, and issues, each accompanied by a selected bibliography. Includes articles on foreign relations between countries such as Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and the U.S. and the Middle East. Also includes maps, genealogies, and a thematic index of articles.

Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World. 4 vols. 1995

Scholarly articles focused on the modern period from the late 18th century, reflect the influence of Islam globally. Covers Muslim politics, society and culture and includes bibliographies. Includes regional and country overviews (For example, Islam in the U.S.).

Encyclopedia of the Palestinians. 2005

Articles written by scholars on the modern period from the late Ottoman era, but focusing mostly on the 20th century. Topics range from people and places to politics, economics, arts, education, literature, water, and women.

Political Handbook of the Middle East. 2006

Political profiles of each country in the Middle East including political background, foreign relations, constitution & government, political groups, legislature, and communications.

Political Encyclopedia of the Middle East. 1999

Emphasis on the political events that occurred between the 1970s - 1990s. Articles on each state in the region as well as regional issues such as Arab Nationalism, Arab-Israel Conflict and Peacemaking, Islamic Radicalism and Movements, Water Politics, Military Forces, Oil, Non-Conventional Weapons, Refugees and Migrants, Terrorism and Women. Articles also cover religious and ethnic groups and political leaders, parties, and movements. Contributors consist of international Middle East scholars.

The Middle East: A Political Dictionary. 1992

Topically arranged articles categorized under sections on Political Geography and Geopolitics, Islam, Ehtnicity and Political Culture, Political Parties and Movements, Israelis and Palestinians, Diplomacy, and Conflict. Focuses on events, movements and institutions that took place during the second half of the 20th century. Each entry is accompanied by an analytical section that discusses the meaning of the entry. An alphabetic index directs the reader to specific topics within the topical arrangement.

Routledge Atlas of the Arab-Israeli Conflict. 2002

Maps covering the time period from 1000 BC to 2001. Arranged in the following categories: Prelude to Conflict; Jewish National Home; Conflict Intensifies; State of Israel; After the Six Day War; Yom Kippur War; Camp David and Afterward. Maps accompanied by insets with narrative that provides context.

U.S. - Middle East Relations

Encyclopedia of U.S. Foreign Relations. 4 vols. 1997

Traces the history of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East from World War II to the mid 1990s. See the overview article on the Middle East, as well as articles on individual countries and topics such as the Gulf War of 1990, Hussein, Iran-Contra Affair, Oil and Foreign Policy, and OPEC. Accompanying bibliographies provide suggestions for further reading.

Ref
E183.7
G85

American Foreign Relations Since 1600: A Guide to the Literature. 2nd ed. 2 vols. 2003

Annotated list of resources published by the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations. Includes U.S. document collections, personal papers, bibliographies, historiography and biographies for a time period as well as overviews of relations between the U.S. and other countries and regions.

For U.S. foreign relations with the Middle East see: Chapter 13 for 1899-1919; Chapter 16 for between the World Wars; and Chapter 29 for the years since 1961. Regional/country references include books and some journal articles. To determine if any of the items that you find are available in the Cook Library or another USM library, check the Towson and/or USMAI Catalog.

United States in the Middle East: A Historical Dictionary. 1988

Although dated, this volume focuses primarily on diplomats, scholars, and others involved in U.S. - Middle East relations between 1831 - 1986. Supplemental features include a chronology and listings of individuals by profession and occupation and chiefs of American diplomatic missions.

E183.7
B4

Shelved in the 5th floor stacks

American Secretaries of State and Their Diplomacy. 20 vols. 1963 -

This series begins with Robert R. Livingston, who served as Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Continental Congress from 1781 - 1783, to Cyrus Vance, who served as Secretary of State from 1977 - 1980 under President Jimmy Carter. Each volume is enhanced by notes that reference primary sources and a topical index.

U.S. Department of State
http://www.state.gov/index.cfm

• Includes documents from 1998 to date
• Documents from 1990-1997 available through U.S. Department of State Electronic Archives at University of Illinois at Chicago
• U.S. Department of State Dispatch
  • Available online from 1993 - 1999
• Continues the Department of State Bulletin and is available in hardcopy in the periodical stacks on the 2nd floor of Cook Library, 1990 - 1999

Department of State Bulletin. 1946 - 1989

• Available in the periodical stacks on the 2nd floor of Cook Libary.

Search the Office of the Historian site for links to:

• Principal Officers of the Department and U.S. Chiefs of Mission - 1778 - up to 2 years ago
  • Indexed by country and by official
• Visits to the U.S. by Foreign Heads of State and Government - 1874 - up to 1 year ago
  • Arranged by year
• Presidents and Secretaries of State Foreign Travels - 1906 - up to 2 years ago
  • Search by president, secretary, or destination
• Timeline of U.S. Diplomatic History - 1776 - 1889
  • Accompanied by brief articles with suggested readings
• Additional governement sites that provide historical information and the Presidential libraries

NARA Presidential Libraries and Museum Page
http://www.archives.gov/presidential-libraries/index.html

Provides links to U.S. Presidential libraries, which provide selected primary sources. Also explains various types of presidential documents and how they can be useful in your research.

In the Diplomacy and Foreign Policy section of this site, you will find links to other primary sources such as the U.S. State Department publications, including many of the volumes of Foreign Relations of the U.S. (FRUS) published since 1945. Series presents the official documentary historical record of major U.S. foreign policy decisions and significant diplomatic activity. Online volumes drawn from the Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon/Ford administrations.
University of Wisconsin Libraries provides electronic access and keyword searching to a substantial run of those volumes published between 1861-1960.

Cook Library also owns print copies of Foreign Relations of the U.S. from 1861 to date. These can be found on the 5th floor of the library with the call number KZ233 U55.

Shelved in the 5th floor stacks

Documents on American Foreign Relations. 1938 - 1970
[World Peace Foundation/Council on Foreign Relations]

Collection of documents selected for their significance to U.S. foreign relations. Published annually. not limited to U.S. government sources. Documents are accompanied by introductory historical essays in the later volumes. primary sources

American Foreign Relations, published from 1971-1978 continues the set.

Historic Documents. Annual. 1972-

Primary sources and excerpts of primary sources that chronicle the events of each year from 1972 to date. Although the documents selected represent worldwide events, the main focus is on the U.S. Thematic Table of Contents provides quick access to documents regarding International Affairs - Middle East or use the Cumulative Index, especially by country name. Sources are drawn from the U.S. government, non-U.S. governments, and NGOs.

Current five years are shelved in the Reference stacks, earlier years are in the general stacks on the 5th floor of the library.

Foreign Government and Organizational Sources

Following is a selection of Web sites that provide full text access to mostly current primary documents.

For additional government sources from a particular country, try searching the Yahoo Directory at http://dir.yahoo.com Once in the Yahoo Directory:

• Type the name of a country and the word government for a list of links to branches of government from a country
• Type the name of a country and the word news for a list of links to news sources from a country

Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA

Links to many primary sources including communiques, policy statements, documents, speeches, and treaties. Topical arrangement of sources covering antisemitism and the Holocaust, terrorism and the peace process. Links to other Web sites on archaeology, culture, society, health, business, education, and media in Israel.

MIFTAH: Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy
http://www.miftah.org/

"...a non-governmental non-partisan Jerusalem-based institution dedicated to fostering democracy and good governance within Palestinian society through promoting public accountability, transparency, the free flow of information and ideas, and the challenging of stereotyping at home and abroad." - from the site

Primary sources include: press releases; online petitions; reports; polls; maps; letters & speeches; agreements & treaties; and UN resolutions.

League of Arab States (English version under construction 9/21/08)

Presents the organization's offical stand on various issues regarding Arab issues such as Arab-Israeli conflict, non-proliferation of weapons, Arab consolidation, Golan and Palestinian issues, water issue, Iraqui-Kuwaiti state, Arab Chinese relations, and Arab-African cooperation. Background information on Arab culture and society and Jerusalem. Current news and declarations.

King Hussein of Jordan

Select group of speeches, letters, interviews and press conferences from 1988- 1999.

King Abdullah of Jordan

Initiatives, royal speeches, letters and op-eds, and interviews. Background information on the Hashemites, royal court and palaces, and Jordon.

British Foreign & Commonwealth Office
http://www.fco.gov.uk/

• Includes current official documents
• Use the search feature to retrieve documents by keyword(s) or by type of document including news, speeches, events and press releases. This is an efficient and precise way to search the Web site, as it allows boolean (and, or, not) and phrase searching.
• Also search the National Archives of the United Kingdom
  • For archived documents from 1997 that focus on Middle East issues see:Iraq; Afghanistan; Middle East & Africa Country Profiles; and Middle East Peace Process. Additional search strategies might include browsing through Official Document

Archives Editions

• Although this publisher's site does not provide direct access to these British government documents, it lists compilations of documents that it has published on the Middle East by title and by subject.
• Once in the list of Middle East titles, you can sort by topic or country
• Click on a title of interest to read an extensive description of the collection.
• Next check in WorldCat, the online database available through the Cook Library Web Site, to determine if any libraries in the MD/DC area have the title. Georgetown University Library in DC owns a significant number of them.

Ref
JX1977
A37 Y4

United Nations
http://www.un.org

Search the entire UN site by keyword or browse through the sections on United Nations: A Question of Palestine, UN Relief and Works for Palestine Refugees, Situation in the Middle East, on the peace process, or the Situation in Iraq.

Yearbook of the United Nations, 1947 - (some years missing) primary source
Five current years kept in Reference. Earlier editions in general stacks on the 5th floor of the library

Each yearbook presents comprehensive coverage of the U.N.'s activities for the year. The texts of major resolutions and decisions, as well as the accompanying procedural details and recorded or roll-call votes, of the General Assemby, the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council are reproduced or summarized.

European Union

Various sections of EU's Web site deal with its relation to the Middle East.

• See Euro-Mediterranean Partnership , EU and the Middle East Peace Process and EU & the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Iran, Iraq & Yemen
• Also check under Countries for EU's policies with individual countries

AL-BAB: An Open Door to the Arab world

Links to Web sites that have been chosen to educate readers about the Arab world. As an aide to visitors to this Web site, the source of a linked Web site is noted, especially if it's sponsor might reflect a bias. The Documents section of this site provides links to primary sources from modern history.

The Middle East 1916 - 2001 : A Documentary Record

The Avalon Project at Yale University provides links to primary documents regarding the Middle East from United States, Britain, the United Nations and other sources.

Islam and Islamic Studies Resources: For Studying Islam and the Diverse Perspectives of Muslims

Continually updated site that provides links to current news stories and links to other Web sites arranged by topics including Sunni, Shi'ism, Sufism, Muslim Women, Qur'an, Jihad, Islam history,culture and society.

Foundation for Middle East Peace

Organization formed to promote and educate the American public about a peaceful solution for both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. Focus placed on the Israeli settlements in the occupied territories and their relationship to the peace process. Provides reports with analysis, maps, and statistics on the settlements. The Resources section includes the full text of official documents related to the peace process. primary sources

MidEast Web - Middle East Conflict

Web site maintained by a group of people, mostly from the Middle East, to promote Arab Jewish dialog and peace education. Provides current news stories and various sources of information on the Middle East. Includes full text of peace process documents and historical and political maps. primary sources

Voice of the Shuttle: Middle East History

This site links to reputable Web sites (or Web directories) that consist of primary and secondary sources on the Middle East. Web sites are arranged under the topics:General; Byzantium; Crusades; Egyypt; Iran (and Persia); Iraq (and Babylon & Mesopotamia); Israel (and Palestine); and Turkey.

ABZU:A Guide to Information Related to the Study of the Ancient Near East on the Web

A grant-funded project that provides electronic access to a bibliography of primary and secondary sources of information on the Middle East. Allows keyword searching of content.

Internet History Sourcebooks Project

This resource created by Professor Paul Halsall and hosted by Fordham University provides links to historical texts that are freely available on the Web. There are various sections of this site that provide materials related to the Middle East. These include the Ancient History Sourcebook, the Medieval Sourcebook, the Middle East since 1914, and sections on Islamic and the Jewish history.
Primary sources

The following online databases, which index primarily secondary, but some primary sources, are available only through the Cook Library Web site. From off campus, once on the Cook Library Home Page, from the dropdown menu next to How do I, connect to Research Port. Then type the 14-digit Library ID on the front of your Towson University OneCard and your last name. Once in Research Port, click on the by database name tab and type in the name of the database that you'd like to search.

Academic Search [EBSCO]. 1990-

Multidisciplinary online database that indexes English-language articles from magazines, journals, and newspapers. Many of the articles indexed here are available electronically or in print through Cook Library. Once you're in Academic Search, you might want to click on the CHOOSE DATABASES tab to search other EBSCO databases such as Humanties Abstracts, MasterFILE, and Social Sciences Abstracts at the same time for additional resources.

Historical Abstracts. 1954-

Indexes articles from scholarly journals in social, polical, and economic history. Content focus is on countries other than United States and Canada, covering the time period from 1450 to present. Some of the articles indexed are available electronically or in print through Cook Library.

America: History and Life. 1954-

Indexes articles from scholarly journals in social, polical, and economic history. Content focus is on the United States and Canada, covering the time period from 1450 to present. Some of the articles indexed are available electronically or in print through Cook Library.

JSTOR.

Search and access the full text of 450 major scholarly journals in all disciplines from their first issue up to four years ago. Coverage complements the more current coverage of the EBSCO databases, America History & Life, and Historical Abstracts.

LexisNexis Academic

Provides full text of current newspaper articles from major international English-language newspapers,including New York Times (1980 - ) and Washington Post (1977 - ) and news transcripts from U.S. networks, U.S. government and Al-Jazeera.

• For a search of Major World Papers, click on Power Search from the entry page of LexisNexis
• Click on show options to search for words in the headline and lead paragraph (HLEAD)
• For news from the Middle East, click on the Sources tab, Countries > Middle East > News and then select the sources that you want to search . Full text of Jerusalem Post (1989 - ), Al-Bawaba (11/2002 - ), and Mideast Mirror (12/1993 - )
  • For interviews, select News Transcripts, including Al-Jazeera , and search the word 'interview' and a person's name (e.g. interview and saddam hussein) in the HEADLINE field
    • Change Specify date as desired
  • For a broader selection of news transcripts, click on the Sources tab, News > News Transcripts, and select from other transcripts in LexisNexis
  • To search all transcripts at once, click in the box next to Transcripts
• For news conferences between heads of state, select Federal News and FDCH transcripts, then type in keywords in the search fields (For example, try searching ...bush... [HEADLINE] and ...hussein... [HLEAD] and see what you get.)

Historical New York Times 1851-2001

Provides full text and full image of all articles.
Current New York Times articles are available through both LexisNexis Academic and National Newspapers databases.

Palmer's Index to the Times Newspaper (London). 1785-

The Times of London is available on microfilm in the Periodicals Room on the 2nd floor of Cook Library.

International Index to Periodicals, Devoted Chiefly to Humanities and Science. 1907- 1964.

• Indexed scholarly/professional journals
• Continued by Social Sciences & Humanities Index 1966 - 1974 [Ref A13 S6]
• Continued by Social Sciences Index 1974 -1997. [Ref A13 S611]

Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature . 1900 - 1997.

• Indexed general interest and news magazines
• Continues Poole's Index to Periodical Literature 1890 - 1899 [Ref A13 P7]