Reference Books

American Musical Traditions – Volume 5. Latino and Asian American Music
Titon, Jeff T., ed.
ML3551 .A53 2002 v.1, 2, 3, 4, and 5

This five-volume set contains more than 100 essays written by scholars and area specialists look at distinct groups – where they came from, how music is used in religious or secular celebrations, who plays or composes music, the instruments they play and the costumes or dress they wear 00 as well as numerous other details that fully illustrate the context and importance of the music.  Each volume indemnities a major cultural category, is fully illustrated with photos and maps and includes references to Web site audio examples.

Asian American Biography
Zia, Helen, and Gall, Susan B., ed.
E184 .O6 A85x 1995 v.1 and 2

Profiles more than 130 Americans who trace their ancestry to Asia and the Pacific Islands.  Each entry includes a list of sources for further reading.

Asian American Chronology
E184 .O6 A8258 1996

Explores significant social, political, economic, cultural, and professional milestones in Asian American history.  Arranged by year and then by month and day where applicable, the chronology spans from prehistory to modern times. Entries range from a few lines to a page in length and describe topics such as immigration, discriminatory legislation, world wars, and the contributions Asian Americans have made to all aspects of American society.

Asian American Encyclopedia
Ng, Franklin, ed.
E184 .O6 A827 1995

This 6-volume encyclopedia provides the most thorough coverage of the Asian American experience past and present ever published in a single multivolume reference source. The information found in this reference set cannot readily be found elsewhere. Highlights the role of Asian Americans in the arts, education and scholarship, government and politics, science and technology, sports, and many other fields. Entries cover such broad topics as the Asian American Movement, Families, the Model Minority, Asian American Women and more. Charts, tables, graphs and more than fifty maps complement the text.

Asian American Literature: Reviews & Criticism of Works by American Writers of Asian Descent
Trudeau, Lawrence J., ed.
PS153 .A84 A82 1999

Provides biographical sketches and substantive excerpts from literature criticism on frequently studied Asian American writers.  Concentrates on contemporary writers, but also includes some who have historical importance.  Includes introductory essays that track developments and trends, photographs and an annotated table of contents that helps students quickly identify specific authors.  Title, author, genre and nationality indexes help speed research.

Asian American Politics: Law, Participation, and Policy
E184 .A75 A84145 2003

Brings together original sources on key topics influencing Asian American politics, knit together by expert scholars who introduce each subject and place it in context with political events and the greater emerging literature.  Court cases, legislation, demographics, and key pieces on topics ranging from gender to Japanese American redress to the Los Angeles riots to Wen Ho Lee round out this innovative reader on a politically active group likely to grow in number and electoral impact.

Asians in America: The Peoples of East, Southeast, and South Asia in American Life and Culture
Ng, Franklin

  • Volume 1: The History and Immigration of Asian Americans

E184 .O6 H58 1998

  • Volume 2: Asian American Family Life and Community

E184 .O6 A8275 1998

  • Volume 3: Asian American Women and Gender

E184 .O6 A8424 1998
Volume 4: Adaptation, Acculturation and Transnational Ties Among Asian Americans (missing)

  • Volume 5: Asian American Interethnic Relations and Politics

E184 .O6 A8414 1998

  • Volume 6: Asian American Issues Relating to Labor, Economics, and Socioeconomic Status

E184 .O6 A8429 1998

Atlas of Asian-American History
E184 .O6 .A89 2002

Using a wide arrangement of visual tools, this atlas offers a detailed overview of the experiences and important events surrounding Americans of Asian descent. Featuring detailed maps and authoritative text, this book tells the story of not one group of people but many. Photographs, line graphs, charts, chronologies, box features, and maps help explore the cultural, historical, political, and social history of Asian Americans. Coverage also profiles key events and issues in their homelands, especially those factors that influenced their movement to the United States.

Dictionary of Asian American History
Kim, Hyung-Chan.
E184 .O6 D53 1986 (Hunter Main Library and Hunter Social Work Library)

It contains essays on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders; a section of significant laws, people, events and organizations; and a chronology.

Dictionary of American Immigration History
Cardasco, Francisco
JV6450 .D53 1990

A compilation of facts and data on the history of American immigration. The introduction summarizes major U.S. immigration acts from the 1880s to the 1986 reform and control act. The 2500 entries include biographical sketches and information on unions, associations, movements, legislation, and ethnic groups, and thematic essays. Entries vary in length from a paragraph to a multi-page essay. The work's most useful features include cross-referencing, references to other sources, identification of the contributors, and a selected bibliography.

Encyclopedia of Asian History
Ainslie T. Embree, Lewis and Robin J., ed.
DS31. E53 1988 v.1, 2, 3 and 4

Encyclopedia of Minorities in American Politics
E184 .A1 E574 2000 v.1, v.2

The two volume set have entries that cover people, events, court cases, movements and organizations that have shaped the political struggles of African Americans, Asian-Americans, Latinos and Native Americans.

The Encyclopedia of the Chinese Overseas
Pan, Lynn, ed.
DS732 .E53 1999

Offers a broad view of overseas Chinese communities worldwide, including the United States.  Arranged geographically and thematically, with country-by-country profiles of individual Chinese communities, it includes sections of the regional and cultural origins of emigrant communities the history and patterns of migration; social, familial and business institutions; and interethnic relations.  Uses boxed features, maps, graphs, tables, and pictures to make material clear and vivid.  A bibliography gives full references to Chinese, English, French, and Spanish works.

Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America
Lehman, Jeffrey, ed.
E184 .A1 G15 1999 v. 1 and 2 (Hunter College Main Library and Hunter Social Work Library)

This three volume set contains over one hundred essays addressing a distinct ethnic, ethno-religious or Native American group in the United States. Entries include Asian Indian Americans, Cambodian Americans, Hmong Americans, Japanese Americans, Korean Americans, Pakistani Americans, Samoan Americans, and Thai Americans.

Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups
Thernstrom, Stephan, ed.
E184 .A1 H35

Provides lengthy articles on several Asian American groups.  The articles include bibliographies.

Japanese American History: an A-to-Z Reference from 1868 to the Present
Niiya, Brian, ed.
E184 .J3 J3355 1993

Consists of three major parts: a narrative historical overview, a chronology of Japanese   history and dictionary entries pertaining to the history of Japanese Americans.

Reference Library of Asian America
Gall, Susan, ed.
E184 .O6 R45 1995 v.1, v.2, v.3

This three volume set looks at various topics, such as different Asian American groups, significant documents, interracial relations, civil rights, religion, theatre, sports and speeches.

In Book Stacks

The Asian American Educational Experience: A Sourcebook for Teachers and Students
Nakanishi, Don T. and Nishida, Tina Y., ed.
LC2632 .A85 1995

Contributions examine the significant issue and concerns in the education of Asian Americans.  Contributors, all leading experts in their fields, provide theoretical discussions, practical insighs and recommendations, historical perspectives and an analytical context for the many issues crucial to the education of this diverse population.  Special emphasis is given to both the historic debates which have shaped the field, and the concerns and challenges facing educators of Asian American students at both the K-12 and university level.

The Asian American Movement
Wei, William.
E184 .O6 W44 1993 (Hunter College Main Library and Hunter Social Work Library)

Active for more than two decades, the Asian American movement began a middle class- reform effort to achieve racial equality, social justice, and political empowerment.  In this firt history and in-depth analysis of the Movement, William Wie traces to the late 1960, the genesis of an Asian American identity, culture and activism. Wei analyzes the Asian American women’s movement, the alternative press, Asian Americans involvement in electoral politics. Interviews with many key participants in the Movement and photographs of Asian American demonstrations and events enliven this portray of the Movement’s development, breadth, and conflicts.

The Asian Pacific American Heritage: A Companion to Literature and Arts
Leonard, George J., ed.
PS153 .A84 A87 1999

Presents lengthy articles on the topics that unlock the work of a number of contemporary Asian Pacific American writers and artists, for example: Asian naming systems, the “model minority” discourse, Chinese diaspora, Filipino Ameican value, the Confuscian family and its      tensions, Japanese internment, Mao’s Great Cultural Revolution, the Korean alphabet, food and ethnic identity, religious traditions, Fengshui and Chinese medicine, Filipino folk religion, Hmong needlework, and reading Asian characters in English, just to name a few.  The articles are coupled wit in-depth studies of the authors most likely to be part of the multicultural curriculum during the next decade, among them Maxine Hong Kingston, Frank Chin, Amy Tan, Younghill Kang, Carlos Bulosan, Jessica Hagedorn, Lawson Fusao Inada, Garret Hongo, David Henry Hwang, Kim Ronyoung, and Cathy Song. 

The Columbia Documentary History of the Asian American Experience
Odo, Franklin
E184 .O6 C63 2002

Presents the rich Asian American heritage through primary sources – speeches, diary entries, editorials, advertisements, court opinions, legislation, songs and poems – along with expert, concise editorial commentary.  It testifies not only to the rapid expansion of the field of Asian American studies in the last decade but also to the innovations in scholarship on Asian Americans in many fields, including western history, feminist studies, political science, anthropology, and military history.

The Colombia Guide to Asian American History
Okihiro, Gary H.
E184 .O6 C64 2001

Offering an insightful road map of Asian American history as it has evolved over more than 200 years, this book marks the first systematic attempt to take stock of this field of study.  It examines, comments, and questions the changing assumptions and contexts underlying the experiences and contributions of an incredibly diverse population of Americans.

New Immigrant Litertaures in the United States
Knippling, A.S., ed.
PS153 .M56 N475 1996

A comprehensive introduction to the contributions of immigrants to the post-World War II literatures of the United States.  The book is organized into sections devoted to Asian Americans, Caribbean American, European American, and Latin American literatures, with individual chapters treating such previously neglected groups as Pakistani Americans, Korean Americans, and Finnish Americans, Each of the 22 chapters on individual immigrant literatures gives basic information about the ethnic group, its culture, and its immigrant history in the United States, which with the notes and a comprehensive bibliography results in a concise reference chapter on that particular group’s contribution to U.S. literature.  Second, each chapter contains expert critical and interpretive essays on the dominant concerns, major authors, early and recent works, and prevailing genres of each group, satisfying the scholar’s need for critical and contextual perspective.

Reading the Literatures of Asian America
Geok-Lim, S., and Ling, A., ed.
PS153 .A84 R43 1992

Although these essays explore the literary theme found in specific Asian American literary works, when read and digested in their totality they revealed themselves to be a well-organized anthology displaying the richness and diversity of Asian American culture and history, thoughts and beliefs.  The book is separated into four interrelated sections covering Asian American identity, questions of gender and race, issues of ethnic boundaries and borders, and various interpretations of text, and each section fully discusses these themes through an investigation of literary forms.

Reading Asian American Literature: From Necessity to Extravagance
Wong, Sau-ling C.
PS153 .A84 W66 1993

How is the growing body of Asian American works to be read?  What holds them together to constitute a tradition? What distinguishes this tradition from the “mainstream” canon and other “minority” literatures?  Sau-ling Wong addresses these issues and explores their implications for the multiculturalist agenda.

Redefining American Literary History
Ruoff, A. and Ward, Jerry W., ed.
PS153 .M56 R4 1990

Presents seventeen essays and six bibliographies linked, in the words of the introduction, by “a commitment to deal with history and attributes of literature in ways that have been slighted in the making of previous literary histories of the United States.”  The volume suggests methods for redefining the American literary canon and emphasizes African American, American Indian, Asian American, Chicano, Hispanic, and Puerto Rican literatures.

Strangers from a Different Shore: A History of Asian Americans
Takaki, Ronald
E184 .O6 T35 1990

A narrative history of richly diverse stories of Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, Filipinos, Asian Indians, Vietnamese, Cambodians, and Laotians how have come to the United States during the past one hundred and fifty years.

Bibliographical Sources

Chinese American Portraits: Personal Histories 1828-1988
Louise Leung Larson
E184 .C5 M195 1988

A collection of biographies gathered from interviews and archival research of Chinese Americans from all walks of life.

Dictionary of Literary Biography Yearbook
PS128 .D52 1983-2002

Contains a biographical sketch of Maxine Hong Kingston.
Distinguished Asian Americans: A Biographical Dictionary
E184 .O6 D57 1999

Features biographical profiles of 166 distinguished Asian Americans who have made significant contributions to American society.

Notable Asian Americans
E184 .O6 N67 1995

Contains 250 biographical sketches on noteworthy Asian Americans, both living and deceased from all fields of endeavor.

Bibliographies

American Studies: An Annotated Bibliography, 1984-1986
Salzman, Jack, ed.
E169.1 .A54 1986 v.1, 2 and 3

This volume supplements the acclaimed three-volume set published in 1986 and consists of an annotated listing of American Studies monographs published between 1984 and 1988. There are more than 6,000 descriptive entries in a wide range of categories: anthropology and folklore, art and architecture, history, literature, music, political science, popular culture, psychology, religion, science and technology, and sociology.

Asian American Literature: an Annotated Bibliography
PS 153 .A84 C44 1988

Lists works by writers of Asian descent who have made the United States or Canada their home.  Also includes authors of mixed descent, ell as authors who may not be of Asian in the U.S. and Canada.  Includes a section of literature by non-Asians about Asians and Asian-Americans.

The Asian American Media Reference Guide, 2nd edition
PN1995 .A84 1986

An annotated list of films and videotapes about Asia and Asian Americans. Indexed by title, subject, producer/director, category, ethnicity and distributors.

Asian American Studies: An Annotated Bibliogrpahy and Research Guide
E184 .O6 K55 1989

This guide is the most comprehensive and current bibliography of Asian American literature in the social and behavioral sciences and humanities.

Autobiographies by Americans of Color 1980-1994: An Annotated Bibliography
Stuhr- Rommereim, Rebecca.
Z5305 .U5 S78 1997

This annotated bibliographical source collects autobiographies and annotate them in a single volume. The arrangement is alphabetical by the author. Each of the 489 annotated entries includes birth and death dates of the author, ISBN, other editions (such as paperback), and whether there are special features such as photographs, bibliographies, or maps.

South Asians in North America: An Annotated and Selected Bibliography
E49.2 .S68 S68 1988

It covers period from 1900-1986.

 

Directories and Guides

Asian Americans Information Directory
Montney, Charles B.
E184 .O6 A75

Provides addresses and descriptions for national and regional organizations, museums, government agencies, research centers, publications, broadcast media, and more, representing the following groups: Bangladeshi, Burmese, Cambodian, Chinese, East Indian, Filipino, Hmong, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Laotian, Malaysian, Nepalese, Pacific Islander, Pakistani, Singaporean, Sri Lankan, Thai, and Vietnamese.

Guide to Multicultural Resources
Taylor, Charles A.
E184 .A1 T39 1987

This book is a directory of organizations, libraries, businesses, schools, publications, and other resources that supply information about ethnic and racial groups. The guide is divided into chapters, four of which are organized around a different ethnic group (Afro-Americans; Asian Americans; Hispanic Americans; and Native Americans). A fifth chapter focuses on multicultural resources. The listings in each chapter are broken down by type of resource (associations, community based organizations, performing and visual arts organizations, etc.)

Multiculturalism in the United States: A Comparative Guide to Acculturation and Ethnicity
Buenker, John D., Ratner, Lorman A., Eds.
E184 .A1 M85 1992

Ratner and Buenker have revised and updated the first edition of Multiculturalism in the United States to reflect the changes, patterns, and shifts in immigration showing how American culture affects immigrants and is affected by them. Common topics that helped determine the degree and pace of acculturation for each ethnic group are addressed in each of the 17 essays providing the reader with a comparative reference tool.  Ethnic groups are included: Arabs, Haitians, Vietnamese, Koreans, Filipinos, Asian Indians, Dominicans, Irish, Chinese and Mexicans. The contribution to American culture by people of these diverse origins reflects differences in class, occupation, and religion.

Understanding Asian Americans: A Curriculum Resource Guide
Li, Marjorie H., Li, Peter., Eds.
E184 .O6 U5 1990 (Hunter Social Work Library)

Provides source of educational tools in Asian American Studies.

Journals

Amerasia Journal
v. 1-13, 1971-1987

Annually publishes a comprehensive bibliography. Some of the topics covered are: "Contemporary Politics and Social Movements, "Culture Literature, and Folklore," "Family Relations," and "Identity and Assimilation" among other topics. This bibliography is usually published in the December issue of the volume.

Asian American Policy Review
Available as a CUNY electronic resources

A non-partisan academic journal dedicated to analyzing public policy issues facing the Asian Pacific American community and provides a forum for meaningful public debate and serves as an important resource for practitioners, policy-makers, and academics.

Asian Pacific American Law Journal
Available as a CUNY electronic resource

Dedicated entirely to Asian Pacific American issues. APALJ is one of only two law journals in the nation that focuses exclusively on the legal issues affecting APA communities. Run by students at the UCLA School of Law, the Journal seeks to facilitate discourse on issues affecting South Asian, Southeast Asian, East Asian, and Pacific Islander communities in the United States. APALJ plays an important role by providing a forum for legal scholars, practitioners and students to communicate about emerging concerns specific to Asian Pacific Americans and by disseminating these writings to APA populations.

Chinese American Forum
Available as a CUNY electronic resource

A cultural and educational magazine, serves as an open dialogue to promote mutual understanding between Chinese/Asian Americans and the general public and to urge Chinese/Asian Americans to join the American mainstream.

Essay and General Literature Index
Available as a CUNY electronic resource

An author/subject index to essays published in collections, with particular emphasis on materials in the humanities and social sciences.

Journal of Asian American Studies
Available as a CUNY electronic resource

Explores all aspects of Asian American experiences through original articles detailing new theoretical developments, research results, methodological innovations, public policy concerns, pedagogical issues. The Journal also publishes book, media, and exhibition reviews. As a much-needed outlet for the increasing volume of scholarship in the field, JAAS provides an avenue for a quick and lively exchange of ideas. The official publication of the Association for Asian American Studies (AAAS).

Women Studies Abstracts
v.2 (1973)- v.5(1976), v.6:no.2(1977)- v.37(2008)

Indexes feminist and scholarly books and periodicals.

Indexes and Databases

Academic Search Premier
Available in CUNY Hunter Databases

General index to over 1500 magazines with some fulltext.

Alt-Press Index
Available in CUNY Hunter Databases

Indexes periodicals that present a more politically "left" or controversial point-of-view. Alt-PressWatch provides full-text of "a collection of newspapers, magazines and journals of the alternative and independent press."

America: History and Life
Available in CUNY Hunter Databases

The periodical covers U.S. and Canadian history. Includes abstracts.

Arts & Humanities Citation Index
Available in CUNY Hunter Databases

Database of bibliographic information indexed to be searched by subject, author, journal, and/or author address.  Can also be searched for articles that cite a known author or work. Cited reference searching allows use of a given work as if it were a subject term, to identify more recent article on the same topic.

ATLA Religion Database
Available in CUNY Hunter Databases

Comprehensive database designed to support religious and theological scholarship in academic research. The file contains citations from international titles and multi-author works in and related to the field of religion. It also includes a full range of index citations to journal articles, essays in multi-author works, book reviews, and Doctor of Ministry projects from ATLA’s print indexes: Religion Index One (RIO), Religion Index Two (RIT), and Index to Book Reviews in Religion (IBRR).

ERIC
Available in CUNY Hunter Databases

Various ways to search for works in education

Ethnic Newswatch
Available in CUNY Hunter Databases

Full-text database of newspapers, magazines and journals (in English or Spanish) of the ethnic and minority press.

Literature Resource Center
Available in CUNY Hunter Databases

A complete literature database combining biographical, bibliographical, and contextual information on authors and their works (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, history, and journalism).  Draws from Gale Group’s core literary databases, including Contemporary Authors, Dictionary of Literary Biography, and Contemporary Literary Criticism.  Provides additional search capability for Merriam-Webster’s Encyclopedia of Literature and Gale Literary Index.

MLA Bibliography
Available in CUNY Hunter Databases

Literature, languages, and folklore.

PAIS International
Available in CUNY Hunter Databases

Volumes are shelved at Green Library Information Center Z7163.P9) indexes selected books, government documents, and periodical articles on contemporary public issues and the making of public policy.

Project MUSE
Available in CUNY Hunter Databases

Searchable database that provides access to the full text of journals published by Johns Hopkins University Press and other university presses in the humanities, social sciences, and mathematics.  Covers such fields as literature and criticism, history, the visual and performing arts, cultural studies, education, political science, gender studies, and others.

PsychINFO
Available in CUNY Hunter Databases

Indexes and abstracts books, periodicals and other literature in psychology. Also Available from OVID.

Social Sciences Index
Available in CUNY Hunter Databases

Author/subject index to periodicals in fields such as anthropology, economics, family studies, geography, international relations, law and criminology, political science, policy studies, psychology, social work, sociology, and urban studies.

Sociological Abstracts
Available in CUNY Hunter Databases

Indexes articles concerned spectrum of social behavior (individuals, small groups, large organizations, communities, institutions, and societies).  Covers sociology and related disciplines such as anthropology, criminology, law, social psychology, urban studies, race relations, demography, and education.

Statistical Information

Asian and Pacific Islander Population in the U.S.
U.S. Department of the Census
March 1991 and 1992

These tables present Current Population Survey (CPS) data on the demographic, soci8al and economic characteristics of the Asian and Pacific Islander population in the United States.  Topics covered include geographic distribution, marital status, occupational distribution, earnings, family income, tenure, and poverty status.  Data are pressed for the United States and the West region.

We the People: An Atlas of America’s Ethnic Diversity
G1201 .E1 A4 1988

Surveys people form Africa as well as the Caribbean.  Excellent demographic maps.

Statistical Record of Asian Americans
E184 .O6 S73 1993 (Hunter Health Professions only)

It brings together data gathered by a wide variety of government, non-government, and Asian/Pacific Islander sources.

This page is maintained by Mee-Len Hom