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Margaret Schaus, Reference Librarian and Bibliographer (HC)

Sections:

Using Background Information
Finding Books
Searching for Journal articles
Recommended East Asian Journals
Locating Primary Sources

Related Subjects:

Asian Studies

Databases A-Z:

Other:

E.A.S./Hist 200 : Sophomore Seminar: Methods and Approaches in East Asian Studies (HC)

Using Background Information:

The Cambridge history of China

Publisher: Cambridge [Eng.] ; Cambridge University Press, 1978-

"The Cambridge History of China is the largest and most comprehensive history of China in the English language." - Publisher Planning began in the 1960s and volumes continue to be published. Not yet available:
V. 2
V. 4, Part 2 Sui and T'ang 589-906
V. 5 Sung
V. 9, Part 2 Later Ch'ing

The Cambridge history of Japan

Publisher: Cambridge [Cambridgeshire] ; Cambridge University Press, 1988-1999.

Authoritative history of Japan in six volumes. The bibliographies are a great place for finding further sources.

Companion encyclopedia of Asian philosophy

This one volume handbook features essay-length articles rather than the usual shorter ones found in encyclopedias. Note in particular:
Confucius and Confucianism by Huang Nansen
Confucianism in Japan by B. M. Bodart-Bailey

Confucianism

Nine resources on Confucianism in Korea from the Council on East Asian Libraries.

Daoism handbook

Publisher: Leiden ; Brill, 2000.

The handbook has 29 essay-length articles on major topics and aspects within daoism. Note in particular:
     References to Confucianism (see Index of Subjects p. 890)
     Daoism in Korea
     Daoism in Japan
     and the several essays dealing with daoism in a particular time period in China

Encyclopedia of Buddhism

Publisher: New York : Macmillan Reference USA/Thomson/Gale, c2004.

The article on Confucianism and Buddhism in this set refers you to several related entries including "Syncretic Sects: Three Teachings."

Encyclopedia of modern Asia

Author: Levinson, David, 1947- Christensen, Karen, 1957-

Publisher: New York : Charles Scribner's Sons ; c2002.

Includes articles on Confucianism in China, Japan, and Korea as well as entries on Confucius, Mencius, xunzi, Zhu Xi. Neo-Confuciaism, and Confucian ethics.

The encyclopedia of Taoism

Publisher: London ; Routledge, 2008.

This two-volume encyclopedia discusses the connections between Daoism and Confucianism in several places including the overview essays:
Taoism and Confucianism; Taoism and Neo-Confucianism pages 137-141
Syncretism pages 20-23

Handbook of Christianity in China

Publisher: Leiden ; Brill, 2001-

A detailed guide to the introduction of Christianity to China. The emphasis is on sources written at the time, both by Chinese scholars and Western missionaries. There is material throughout about Confucian beliefs and practice. See in particular the pages (680-688) on the rites controversy.

Handbook of Christianity in Japan

There are only passing mentions of Confucianism in this handbook. There are, however, essays about Christianity ecountering Buddhism and Shinto.

The illustrated encyclopedia of Confucianism

Author: Taylor, Rodney Leon, 1944- Choy, Howard Y. F.

Publisher: New York : The Rosen Publishing Group, 2005.

Taylor wrote all of the entries in this encyclopedia with only the help of one other scholar. His entries focus exclusively on Confucianism in China.

A new history of Korea

Author: Yi, Ki-baek.

Publisher: Cambridge, Mass. : Published for the Harvard-Yenching Institute by Harvard University Press, 1984.

Recognized as an authoritative and detailed account of the full extent of Korean history.

RoutledgeCurzon Encyclopedia of Confucianism

Publisher: London ; RoutledgeCurzon, 2003.

This two-volume set presents a more learned approach than Taylor's above. Over 60 scholars have written articles on topics concerning Chinese, Japanese, and Korean history, literature, and society.

Finding Books:

Use the Tripod Library Catalog to look for relevant books owned by Bryn Mawr, Haverford, and Swarthmore.

The following subject searches are examples of possibilities.

confucianism
neo-confucianism
philosophy confucian

To find materials in Tripod on a topic, try doing a keyword search to find relevant materials and then using the subject headings assigned to those materials to find more material.

confuc* korea*
japan* religio* state*
chin* japan* influences

Tripod - For locating books, journals, and other materials held in the Tri-College libraries. Delivery within the trico usually arrive in one or two days. Use "Request" or "Get" option. You can mark and then email or print records.

E-ZBorrow and Interlibrary Loan - Request items that are not available in Tripod on this page. Note that PALCI E-Z Borrow provides only books. If a book is not in E-Z Borrow, request it through Interlibrary Loan (ILL). E-Z Borrow takes around three to five days to deliver your requested books, while ILL can sometimes take a few days longer.

Searching for Journal articles:

Journal articles provide in depth scholarly information on historical research. They are vetted and improved by peer review. The following indexes are the best ways to find journal articles about East Asian history.

Currently indexes over 3800 journals and magazines in the social sciences, humanities, and sciences starting with 1986. More than half of the citations include the full-text of the article. Use this for a quick overview of articles in the journals that appeal to broader scholarly audiences.

Proquest Research Library

Discipline-specific Indexes

These indexes are particularly good for accessing the scholarly literature of specific disciplines, i.e., articles written by historians, and other Asian studies scholars.

For history, use Historical Abstracts

For Asian studies, use Bibliography of Asian Studies

For all disciplines, use the full-text journal database, JSTOR

For literature, use MLA
For religion, use ATLA Religion Database

Use the green Find It button in these indexes to find out if the journal articles are available in the Tri-College libraries. If the journal is not listed in Tripod, use the Find It request form or the Interlibrary Loan Request Form on Tripod to have a copy of the article sent to you from another library.

Recommended East Asian Journals:

These scholarly journals are all available in the three colleges. Most have current issues online. In many cases older issues are archived online in JSTOR. See entries for specific information.

China quarterly

Holdings:
(Bryn Mawr College) Available from 1960-present except most recent 1 year(s).
(Haverford College) Available from 1960-present except most recent 1 year(s).
(Swarthmore College) Available from 1960-present.

Publisher: Paris : Congress for Cultural Freedom,

Older issues available in JSTOR.

Chinese literature, essays, articles, reviews

Holdings:
(Bryn Mawr College) Available from 1979-2005.
(Haverford College) Available from 1979-2005.
(Swarthmore College) Available from 1979-2005.

Publisher: Madison, Wis. : Coda Press,

Request articles from latest four years from Swarthmore's paper copies.

Harvard journal of Asiatic studies

Holdings:
(Bryn Mawr College) Available from 2009-present, 1936-2003.
(Haverford College) Available from 1936-2003, 2009-present.
(Swarthmore College) Available from 2009-present, 1936-2003.

Publisher: Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard-Yenching Institute,

Newer issues (latest five years) in paper copies.

Journal of Asian studies

Holdings:
(Bryn Mawr College) Available from 1956-present.
(Haverford College) Available from 1956-present.
(Swarthmore College) Available from 1956-present.

Publisher: [Ann Arbor, Mich.] : Far Eastern Association,

Older issues available in JSTOR.

Journal of Japanese studies

Holdings:
(Bryn Mawr College) Available from 1974-2003, 2004-present.
(Haverford College) Available from 2004-present, 1974-2003.
(Swarthmore College) Available from 1974-2003, 2004-present.

Publisher: Seattle, Wash. : Society for Japanese Studies,

Korean studies

Holdings:
(Bryn Mawr College) Available from 2000-present.
(Haverford College) Available from 2000-present.
(Swarthmore College) Available from 2000-present.

Publisher: Honolulu, HI : University of Hawaii Press.

Older issues available in paper copies at BMC.

Late imperial China

Holdings:
(Bryn Mawr College) Available from 1996-present.
(Haverford College) Available from 1996-present.
(Swarthmore College) Available from 1996-present.

Publisher: Baltimore, MD : Johns Hopkins University Press.

Older issues available in paper copies.

Modern China

Holdings:
(Bryn Mawr College) Available from 1975-2005.
(Haverford College) Available from 1975-present.
(Swarthmore College) Available from 1975-present.

Publisher: Beverly Hills, Calif. : Sage Publications,

Older issues available in JSTOR.

Monumenta Nipponica

Holdings:
(Bryn Mawr College) Available from 2005-present, 1938-2003.
(Haverford College) Available from 2005-present, 1938-2003.
(Swarthmore College) Available from 2005-present, 1938-2003.

Publisher: Tokyo : Sophia University,

Volume for 2004 available in paper.

Nan nü

Holdings:
(Haverford College) Available from 1999-present.

Publisher: [Leiden, the Netherlands] : Brill Academic Publisher.

Positions (Durham, N.C. : Online)

Holdings:
(Bryn Mawr College) Available from 2000-present.
(Haverford College) Available from 1993-present.
(Swarthmore College) Available from 1993-present.

Publisher: Durham, NC : Duke University Press.

Older issues available in paper copies.

Locating Primary Sources:

Primary sources in translation can enrich your understanding of historical issues and strengthen your argument. The titles below are a few examples of source collections for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean history. You can locate more primary texts by searching in Tripod with the subject word Sources.

Primary Source Anthologies

Chinese religion

Publisher: New York : Oxford University Press, 1995.

An anthology of sources in English translation.

Chu Hsi's family rituals

Author: Zhu, Xi, 1130-1200. Ebrey, Patricia Buckley, 1947-

Publisher: Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, c1991.

This is a 12th century Chinese manual that shows Confucian beliefs in practice during stage of life ceremonies including cappings, weddings, funerals, and ancestral rites.

Hawai'i reader in traditional Chinese culture

Publisher: Honolulu : University of Hawaiʻi Press, c2005.

"The Hawai'i Reader in Traditional Chinese Culture is a collection of more than ninety primary sources of cultural significance from the Bronze Age to the turn of the twentieth century. Each selection, all but a few of which were translated specifically for this volume, is preceded by a brief introduction that (where pertinent) identifies its author, establishes the context, and raises important issues and questions."-- BOOK JACKET.

Sourcebook of Korean civilization

Publisher: New York : Columbia University Press, 1993-1996.

A two-volume anthology of texts in translation.

Sources of Japanese tradition

Publisher: New York : Columbia University Press, c2001-

An extensive collection in two volumes of texts in English translation

Zhu Xi's Reading of the Analects

Author: Gardner, Daniel K., 1950- Confucius.

Publisher: New York : Columbia University Press, c2003.

This text translates Zhu Xi's (1130-1200 C.E.) commentary on the Annalects, part of the Confucian canon. Zhu Xi is also the author of Chu Hsi's Family Rituals listed above.

Art as a Primary Source

ARTstor

A digital library that provides access to thousands of digital images derived from a variety of museum, library and archival collections. Images support a variety of disciplines including architecture, painting, sculpture, photography, decorative arts, and design.

Confucius: Shaping Values through Art

Online version of an exhibit from the Pacific Asian Museum in Pasadena.

Recarving China's past

Author: Liu, Cary Y. 1955-Princeton University. Art Museum.Nylan, Michael. 1967-

Publisher: Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Art Museum ; c2005.

"For more than a thousand years, the burial site known as the Wu Family Shrines in the Shandong Province of northeastern China has served as a benchmark for the study of the Han Dynasty (206 BCE- 220 CE) - a defining period in Chinese history that helped shape the artistic, cultural, intellectual, political, religious, and social foundations for Chinese civilization. The inscriptions and pictorial carvings on the stone slabs from this family cemetery complex are the basis for much of what is now known about critical dates concerning artistic, literary, cultural, and architectural developments from one of ancient China's richest cultural eras. Depicting emperors and kings, heroic women, filial sons, and the recently dead, these famous carved and engraved reliefs were intended to teach such basic "Confucian" themes as respect for the emperor, filial piety, and wifely devotion." "Recarving China's Past presents groundbreaking scholarship that prompts significant reexamination of the site's long-accepted implications, including its attribution to the Wu family. The catalogue reinterprets the cemetery structures based on the discovery, since the 1980s, of additional structures and archaeological materials, and evidence that some of the writing and pictorial carvings at the site may have been re-cut over the intervening centuries, essentially recarved to fit prevailing attitudes and assumptions about the Han era."--BOOK JACKET.