Databases A-Z

Atlantic history is a fast developing field of historical inquiry that operates upon new assumptions about how to understand the remarkable nature of interactions between different peoples and cultures on four continents and many islands in the period between Columbus’ voyages to the New World in the late fifteenth century and the end of slavery in the Americas in the late nineteenth century. Its principal theme is the movement of peoples, ideas and things in the Atlantic World.

The modern academic study of the Bible is a highly technical and multifaceted field. Its practitioners are often required to gain expertise in diverse areas ranging from archaeology, Egyptology, Assyriology, and linguistics through textual, historical, and sociological studies, to literary theory, feminist studies, philosophy, and theology – to name but a few. As a result, the field of Biblical Studies is incredibly dynamic, with new discoveries, new methodologies, and new perspectives continually being brought to bear on the interpretation of the Bible.

As a key part of Western literary and cultural history, British and Irish literature encompasses a massive range of periods, authors, and works that make it one of the most active fields in academia today. As such, this area of study invites trans-disciplinary collaboration with fields as varied as history, cultural studies, political science, and philosophy making it challenging for students and scholars to stay informed about every applicable area.

Developed cooperatively with scholars worldwide, Oxford Bibliographies in Chinese Studies offers exclusive, authoritative research guides. Combining the best features of an annotated bibliography and a high-level encyclopedia, this resource guides researchers to the best available scholarship across the field of Chinese Studies.

Oxford Bibliographies in Cinema and Media Studies has recruited many of the finest scholars in cinema and media studies to chart a path through the information thicket and toward a carefully organized, thoroughly peer-reviewed account of the most important books, articles, and Web sites.

Classical Studies comprises a vast body of scholarship: primary and secondary sources, commentaries, multiple important editions, and critique. OBO: Classics provides a reliable source of general information and lengthy bibliography on a wide array of topics concerning the ancient world.

Ecology is a wide-ranging field that includes the observations and writings of plant geographers, including Charles Darwin, chemistry, physics, life sciences, geography, mathematics, computing the statistics. Ecology itself forms the underpinning of Environmental Science.

Environmental Science arose from disparate disciplines as a distinct field in the last half of the 20th century. Environmental Science includes environmental physics, chemistry, and biology; risk analysis and public health; ecosystem governance, management, and planning; social and legal issues toward sustainability; and environmental engineering.

International relations traditionally referred to the study of foreign affairs and political interaction between states. Today, the field covers the whole complex of cultural, economic, legal, military, and political relations of all states and their component populations, as well as non-state actors and international organizations. Research and scholarship in this area has an important impact our understanding of the past and of current events. OBO International Relations offers a reliable, up-to-date, and authoritative guide to the best literature in the field.

Developed cooperatively with scholars and librarians worldwide, Oxford Bibliographies offers exclusive, authoritative research guides on Islamic Studies.

Developed cooperatively with scholars and librarians worldwide, Oxford Bibliographies offers exclusive, authoritative research guides on Jewish Studies.

Latin American studies includes a vast range of disciplinary perspectives, including history, sociology, economics, anthropology, and political science. Area studies in general have proliferated in the latter half of the twentieth century and Latin American studies in particular has been propelled forward as a distinct field of study by major international changes.

Oxford Bibliographies in Linguistics provides expert commentary to help students and scholars find, negotiate, and assess the large amount of information readily available to them. It facilitates research by providing direct links to online library catalogs and other online resources. Organizing the resource around discrete subject entries will allow for quick and easy navigation that users expect when working on screen.

Literary theory has become the hegemonic methodology for the study of text and is often regarded both as a sub-discipline in itself and as a critical tool through which to liberate deeper and more complex meanings from texts. It encompasses a massive range of topics, including periods, movements, themes and works that make it a dynamic field of study. It is constantly evolving as writers from different areas make connections with what might be termed mainstream literary theory and these writers, in turn, become part of the theoretical enterprise. While this presents problems for the classifier and the bibliographer, it is an example of the dynamic and constantly-developing aspects of the field that have made it such an indispensable tool in the area of reading texts, be these texts written, iconic or socio-cultural. As such, this area invites trans-disciplinary collaboration with fields as varied as literature, history, cultural studies, and philosophy making it challenging for students and scholars to stay informed about every applicable area. Given that literary theory draws from other disciplines such as linguistics, philosophy, psychoanalysis, sociology, the social sciences and work from non-Anglophone cultures and traditions, the very scope which makes it a necessary tool for contemporary academics and intellectuals can be off-putting in terms of locating a starting point for any specific inquiry. Oxford Bibliographies in Literary and Critical Theory will offer clearly-signposted pathways through the different areas, and will make clear references to the other disciplines which feed in to, and are often transformed by, literary theory.

The field of Medieval Studies explores European and Mediterranean civilization from the 4th to the 15th centuries. This period, which has a critical importance for the understanding of Western culture, can best be approached through a combination of several disciplines, from history to literature, from art to archaeology, from religion to gender studies.

The study of military history has evolved into a multidisciplinary effort to go beyond the history of military operations to consider broader political, cultural, and social questions. It spans across several disciplines and genres, including sociology and political science, biography, war and battle narratives, the history of technology, foreign affairs and international relations, and various national histories.

The study of music, “musicology,” is a relatively new discipline in academe, beginning in late nineteenth-century Germany. In the second half of the twentieth century, “ethnomusicology” became a viable academic discipline spawning a scholarly literature for the study of all musics not treated by traditional (“historical”) musicology. Oxford Bibliographies in Music takes a pragmatic approach, based on the past and emerging literature about music: if authors have found something they define as music worthy of serious study, it is music. Oxford Bibliographies in Music combines the best features of a high-level encyclopedia and a traditional bibliography in a style tailored to meet the needs of today’s online researchers.

Philosophy is one of the oldest areas of study with a long history of critical literature, and it remains a highly active field for new research and publishing. The number of books and articles published seems to increase every year.

The period of the Renaissance and Reformation, which spans roughly from the 14th through 17th centuries, is rich in history and culture. The field of Renaissance and Reformation studies, which has a critical importance for the understanding of Western culture, can best be approached through a combination of several disciplines including history, the arts, and literature. As such, it is constantly responding to the emergence of new interpretations and ideas for scholars to consider.

Sociology, the study of society and human behavior, is a highly active discipline which is constantly changing and expanding.