Library Guides: Jewish Studies Library Guide: Find Background Information

Intro

Looking for background information and overviews, but want something more reliable than Wikipedia?

All of the reference tools below--encyclopedias, dictionaries, bibliographies, and more--have been designed by expert scholars to provide overviews, as well as help researchers get their bearings on key scholarly literature in a given area of study.

Jewish Studies Encyclopedias & Dictionaries

Cambridge Dictionary of Judaism and Jewish Culture
Published in 2011, The Cambridge Dictionary of Judaism and Jewish Culture brings together essays that explore Jewish history from ancient times to the present and consider all aspects of Judaism, including religious practices and rituals, legal teachings and legendary traditions and rationalism, mysticism, and messianism. Entries discuss secular and political movements and achievements and delineate Jewish endeavors in literature, art, music, theater, dance, film, broadcasting, sports, science, medicine and ecology, among many other topics from the Bible to the Internet.

Encyclopaedia of Judaism Online This link opens in a new window
Online version of Brill's Encyclopaedia of Judaism, Second Edition. More than 200 entries provide a comprehensive presentation of the current state of scholarship on fundamental issues of Judaism, both past and present. While heavy emphasis is placed on the classical literature of Judaism and its history, it also includes entries on circumcision, genetic engineering, homosexuality, intermarriage in American Judaism, and other contemporary issues.

Encyclopedia of Judaism (Credo Reference)
Encyclopedia of Judaism, 2nd Edition (2016) encapsulates Jewish language, laws, literature, arts, theology, ritual, land, culture, and personalities, offering readers entries on Judaism from both a historical and contemporary perspective.
YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe
The goal of The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe is to "recover and represent the civilization of the ancestors of the majority of Jews in the world on the basis of the most up-to-date and objective scholarly research available."

Oxford Reference Tools

Oxford reference tools offer synopses of key topics and themes in different geographic regions and disciplines. While not focused exclusively on Judaism, the encyclopedias and bibliographies below contain a good share of articles focused on Jewish and/or Israeli history, culture, politics, and/or religion.

Oxford Bibliographies Online This link opens in a new window
Expert-curated guides to the most important sources for diverse topics, with editorial commentary to show how the cited sources are interrelated. Tulane subscribes to: American Literature, Architecture Planning & Preservation, Art History, Atlantic History, Cinema & Media Studies, Classics, Latin American Studies, Medieval Studies, Music, Philosophy, Renaissance & Reformation and Urban Studies
Oxford Research Encyclopedia of American History This link opens in a new window
The Oxford Research Encyclopedia (ORE) of American History offer synopses of key historical topics and themes in the history of the U.S. and its connections to other nations and regions. Each encyclopedia article includes overview information, a discussion of the scholarly literature, a list of key primary sources, links to digital resources, and suggestions for further reading.
Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Asian History This link opens in a new window
The Oxford Research Encyclopedia (ORE) of Asian History offer synopses of key historical topics and themes throughout the Asian continent, including the Middle East. Each encyclopedia article includes overview information, a discussion of the scholarly literature, a list of key primary sources, links to digital resources, and suggestions for further reading.
Oxford Research Encyclopedia of International Studies This link opens in a new window
Oxford University Press has partnered with the International Studies Association (ISA) on the Oxford Research Encyclopedia (ORE) of International Studies. Articles cover a wide range of subjects: conflict studies, development, diplomacy, environment, ethics, foreign policy, human rights, identity, international law, international relations theory, pedagogy, gender and sexuality, quantitative and qualitative methodologies, and political communication, economy, geography, and sociology.
Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics This link opens in a new window
The Oxford Research Encyclopedia (ORE) of Politics offer synopses of key topics and themes in a wide range of subjects: contentious politics and political violence; governance and political change; groups and identities; history and politics; international political economy; policy and administration; politics and law; postmodern and critical politics; public opinion; world politics; quantitative and qualitative methodologies; and political anthropology, behavior, communication, economy, institutions, philosophy, psychology sociology, and values and ideologies.

Credo Reference

Credo Reference can be helpful for basic background information and overviews of countries, people, and major historical events:

Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
Credo Reference is a database that allows you to discover and access hundreds of reference books, such as encyclopedias and historical dictionaries, from high-quality publishers.