Christian Missions in Africa: Finding research on missions - Databases, Bibliographies

An annotated bibliography of primary and secondary works on the history of Christian missions throughout the Atlantic world, including Africa.

An annotated bibliography on the historical process of religious evangelism, emphasizing the anthropological literature. Includes sections on missionaries and development, short-term missions, and missions and cultural production.

Print only, 30 vols. Van Pelt stacks: BV2130 .B425
Also referred to as Streit-Dindinger. Produced under the auspices of Pontificia Bibliotheca Missionaria. A mammoth retrospective bibliography, in German, for the bravest. Volumes are devoted to regions, with indexes (to page numbers) for authors, subject persons, places and ethnic groups, and languages. See especially:
• 15. Bd. Afrikanische Missionsliteratur, 1053-1599.
• 16. Bd. Afrikanische Missionsliteratur, 1600-1699.
• 17. Bd. Afrikanische Missionsliteratur, 1700-1879.
• 18. Bd. Afrikanische Missionsliteratur, 1880-1909.
• 19. Bd. Afrikanische Missionsliteratur, 1910-1940. 1. T.
• 20. Bd. Afrikanische Missionsliteratur, 1910-1940. 2. T.
For an appreciation of Streit-Dindinger and an overview of its arrangement and use, see:
"Bibliotheca missionum: a case of benign neglect" / David Henige. History in Africa 5 (1978): 337-344.

Print only. Van Pelt stacks: BF2061 .I58 2003
A one-volume work updating Streit-Dindinger. Annotated listings of books in topical chapters. See especially:
• "Africa" / Walter Cason and Adrian Hastings, subeditors. pages 479-570.
This 1,375-item chapter is arranged in subsections for reference works, significant compilations of primary sources, biographies, African theologies, Christianity in relation to other religions (including Christianity and African Religions), and individual countries.

Online. EbscoHOST.
The principal bibliographic database on religious studies, including missiology. Fulltext is provided for many titles, including International Bulletin of Missionary Research. Use these subject terms as a first search step:
SU (missions OR missionary OR missionaries)

An excellent library catalog that covers books, journals, and articles within journals. Remember that ASC (Leiden)'s library is not the Penn Libraries! Use these subject terms as a first search step, then "restrict" your second search for geography or additional topic:
ASC subject heading (containing)
missions OR "missionary history" OR "christian orders"
WARNING! ASC (Leiden)'s library is not the Penn Libraries! Call numbers and "ASC Links" won't work. Use Franklin Catalog and PennText.

Combining Anthropological literature (from Harvard's Tozzer Library) and Anthropological index (from the Royal Anthropological Institute) creates some confusion, but this is the most comprehensive index to the book and journal article literature for anthropology, with coverage starting in the 1800s. AnthroLit records will include subject terms for specific ethnic groups.

Covers world history (outside North America), 1492-present.

This web page lists additional databases that cover African studies.