Primary Sources
A primary source is an immediate account or object resulting from the topic being studied. Traditionally, primary sources are found public records, archival collections, historic publications, and source books. Specific examples include speeches, diaries, letters, interviews, photographs, original literature, autobiographies. When researching contemporary topics, first hand accounts may also be found on blogs and social media, as well as contemporary literature. Contact a librarian for help identifying primary sources.
The resources in this box are more generalized sources for historical research. See the below "Histories" box for resources curated specifically for South Asian history.
- Independent Voices This link opens in a new windowA digital collection of alternative press newspapers, magazines and journals, drawn from the special collections of participating libraries. These periodicals were produced by feminists, dissident GIs, campus radicals, Native Americans, anti-war activists, Black Power advocates, Hispanics, LGBT activists, the extreme right-wing press and alternative literary magazines during the latter half of the 20th century.
- Ethnic Newswatch This link opens in a new windowIncludes current full-text newspapers, magazines, and journals of the ethnic and minority press, providing researchers access to essential, often overlooked perspectives. The database now also contains Ethnic NewsWatch: A History, which provides historical coverage of Native American, African American, and Hispanic American periodicals from 1959-1989.
- Historical American Newspapers (ProQuest) This link opens in a new windowIncludes The Atlanta Constitution, Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, Hartford Courant, Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post.
- Asian American Drama This link opens in a new windowContains 252 plays by 42 playwrights since the 19th Century, together with detailed, fielded information on related productions, theaters, production companies, and more. Some 50% of these plays have never been published before. Database also includes selected playbills, production photographs and other ephemera related to the plays.
- Hindu Conspiracy Cases (Archives Unbound) This link opens in a new windowNewsclippings, articles, trial transcripts, memoranda and correspondence from the U.S. Immigration Service and Justice Department.
- Digital Public Library of America This link opens in a new windowThis resource offers a single point of access to millions of items including photographs, manuscripts, books, sounds, moving images, and more from libraries, archives, and museums around the United States. Users can browse and search the DPLA's collections by timeline, map, format, and topic. Users can also save items to customized lists and share their lists with others.
Histories
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Caribbean Histories Revealed: at the National Archives, UKAn interesting and detailed online exhibition exploring the history of the British Caribbean. Uses government documents, photographs and maps dating from the 17th century to the 1920s which were discovered during a cataloging project at The National Archives.
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Echoes of Freedom - South Asian Pioneers in California: UC BerkeleyWebsite of the University of California, Berkeley, with stories of early South Asian immigrants to California, depicted through photographs, documents and publications drawn from Berkeley's South/Southeast Asia Library's archival collections on South Asians in North America.
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Girmit United: New ZealandWebsite by the Girmit Foundation, New Zealand, which aims to "reconnect, reclaim and restore Indo-Fijian history". Girmityas are descendants of indentured Indian laborers brought to Fiji to work on sugarcane plantations. Website also features documentaries, books, and articles.
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Indians Overseas - A Guide to Source Materials in the India Office Records, 1830-1950: British Library, UKA finding aid for the collections of historical materials on Indian immigrants and diaspora to Great Britain, from the India Office Records and Private Papers of the British Library.
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Indo-Caribbean Heritage: CanadaA community website that collates articles and historical materials relevant to the Indo- Caribbean community of Canada.
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Komagata Maru - Continuing the Journey: CanadaFunded by the Department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Website created by Simon Fraser University Library. New perspectives on the Komagata Maru 'incident', the Indo-Canadian community and its historical struggles. Contains digitized documents (books, reports, poetry, and plays), photographs, videos and audio related to the incident.
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Making Britain - How South Asians Shaped the Nation: Open University, UKAn online database from Open University, providing information on South Asians in Britain from 1870 to 1950, the organizations they were involved in, their British connections, and the major events in which they participated.
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Moving Here, Migration Histories: National Archives, UKExplores why people came to England from South Asia over the last 200 years, and what their experiences were and continue to be. Site contains original material related to migration history from local, regional and national archives, libraries and museums. South Asian immigrant histories, pictures, narratives, and a timeline of South Asian migration are also included.
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Moving People, Changing Places: UK'Unpacks the issues of migration, identity and diversity facing contemporary societies.' See especially the sections titled 'South Asians Making Britain', 'Bangla Mobility', 'Muslim Diasporas', and 'British Asian Cities'.
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Pioneering Punjabis Digital Archive
UC Davis collection on South Asian immigrants from the Punjab region in north India to California (1899-present), including video interviews, speeches, diaries, photographs, articles, and letters. -
South Africans of Indian Origin: Cape Town, South AfricaPart of South African History Online's (SAHO) long term project document the rich diversity of peoples, traditions and cultures of South Africa. Comprises biographies, images, timelines, and historical newspaper reports relating to Indians in Natal, indentured labor etc.
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South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA): Philadelphia, USA not-for-profit voluntary organization, based in Chicago, that preserves and makes available on the web primary historical materials documenting the history of various South Asian communities in the US.
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Striking Women: UK'An educational site about migration, women and work, workers' rights, and the story of South Asian women workers during the Grunwick (1976-1978) and Gate Gourmet (2005) industrial disputes.'
- Sepia MutinyBlog of political and culture commentary from 7/30/2004 to 4/1/2012.
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Asian Voices Oral History Project: University of Huddersfield, UKDuring a major labor shortage in the 1950s-1960s, over a million immigrants came to work in Huddersfield's textile & wool industry from the Caribbean, the Indian sub-continent, Africa and the Far East. This project records the memories of some of the early Asian immigrants.
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Bangla Stories: London School of Economics/ University of Cambridge, UKResulting from a 3-year research project, these are stories of 'people who left Bengal after Independence in 1947 when the state was divided into West Bengal and East Pakistan (later Bangladesh), crossed new borders and made new lives.'
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British Arangetrams - FIPA's Online Oral History Resource: Essex, UKThis project by the Foundation for Indian Performing Arts (FIPA), features 35 video diaries of Bharatanatyam dancers who have done their arangetrams.
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India Association of Minnesota Oral History Project: Minnesota Historical Society, USA multi-part oral history project between the India Association of Minnesota and the Minnesota Historical Society. Records experiences of first and second generation Asian Indian immigrants in Minnesota.
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Indian American Communities in Indiana, 1998-1999: Indiana University, US"Provides a sampling of Indian American voices, most of whom were born in India and now reside in the US." Website provides detailed records for each interview. Tapes themselves are only available at the Indiana University physical archives.
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Indo-Canadian Oral History Collection: 'Multicultural Canada' Digitization ProjectComprises two projects conducted in the 1980s. The first documented histories of immigrants from the Punjab Province of India who came to Canada between 1912 and 1938. The second project interviewed 32 Sikh immigrants who arrived in Canada prior to 1956.
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Komagata Maru Video Histories:CanadaContemporary Indo-Canadians discuss the impact of the Komagata Maru on their lives. See also the 'Audio' section.
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Meri Zindagi Oral History Project: Gunnersbury Park Museum, UKPart of the South Asian Archive, Gunnersbury Park Museum. Consists of 70 recorded interviews with South Asian residents of Ealing and Hounslow who describe the journeys they made to establish themselves in the West London community.
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Pioneering Punjabis Digital Archive
UC Davis collection on South Asian immigrants from the Punjab region in north India to California (1899-present), including video interviews, speeches, diaries, photographs, articles, and letters. -
South Asian Immigrants in the Philadelphia Area Oral History Project: Historical Society of Pennsylvania, USRecords produced by the Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies. The project was conducted in the summer of 1996, when project staff interviewed sixteen individuals about their heritage, country of origin, and experiences in the United States.
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South Asian Oral History Project: University of Washington, USRecords pan-South Asian immigrant experiences in the Pacific Northwest using the medium of oral history.
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Tales of Three Generations of Bengalis in Britain: Swadhinata Trust, UKInterview transcriptions are available online. Themes include inter-generational discussions on Bangladeshi history, the 1971 war of independence, and contemporary cultural concerns.
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Vilayati Tarti/ Foreign Land Project: London, UKChronicles the stories of South Asian women, mostly Punjabis, who left after the Partition to look for work in the UK. Project is centered around the Southall region which, today, is often referred to as "Little Punjab".