Librarian
Minority & Alternative Literature Resources
Here we focus on resources about historically marginalized groups, including:
- racial and ethnic minorities
- post-colonial authors
- gay and lesbian writers
To find resources on minority and alternative literature,
- Use a General Search of our collection for books, articles, videos, and more.
- Search specifically for works of literature.
- Search for literary criticism.
- Or try a specialized journal database to find scholarly articles.
Include a population and a genre or theme of interest in your search. For example:
- postcolonial fiction
- african american drama
- gay lesbian poetry
Browse the reference sources below to find author biographies, work summaries, overviews of literature topics, and more.
Resources in Other Guides
- Women's Literature in Women's Studies
- American Indian Literature in American Indian Studies
Books
The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Multiethnic American Literature by Call Number: Reference PS153.M56 G74 2005 v.1–5This comprehensive set covers authors, works, genres, ethnic stereotypes, and the writings of particular groups, such as African American Gay Literature and Iranian American Literature. See the Guide to Related Topics in v. 1, p. xxiii, for places to start.
The Columbia Guide to Contemporary African American Fiction by Call Number: Reference PS374.N4 D533 2005Find concise descriptions of the careers, works, and critical reception of contemporary African American writers.
Disability, Literature, Genre by ISBN: 9781789620771Publication Date: 2019-12-06Examining the intersection of disability and genre in popular works of horror, crime, science fiction, fantasy, and romance published since the late 1960s, Disability, Literature, Genre is a major contribution to both cultural disability studies and genre fiction studies. Drawing on recent work on affect and emotion, the book explores how disability makes us feel, and how those feelings shape interpersonal and fictional encounters. Written in a clear and accessible style, Disability, Literature, Genre offers a timely reflection on the rapidly growing body of scholarship on disability representation, as well as an innovative new theorisation of genre.
The Word in Black and White by ISBN: 9781280525285Publication Date: 1992-01-01Nelson provides a study of the ways in which white American authors constructed 'race' in their works from the time of the first colonists up to the period of the Civil War. She focuses on some eleven texts, including The Last of the Mohicans, Melville's Benito Cereno, and Harriet Jacobs's Incident in the Life of a Slave Girl.
Beyond the Borders by ISBN: 9781849644860Publication Date: 2003-01-01This book challenges the boundaries of postcolonial theory. Focusing on American literature, it examines how America's own imperial history has shaped the literature that has emerged from America, from Native American, Latino, Black and Asian-American writers. They contrast this with postcolonial literature from countries whose history has been shaped by American colonialism, from Canada, Central America and the Caribbean to Hawaii, Indonesia and Vietnam.
Narrating American Gender and Ethnic Identities by ISBN: 9781443850209Publication Date: 2013-01-01Narrating American Gender and Ethnic Identities investigates two major issues within contemporary American Studies: cultural representations of various minorities (ethnic, religious, sexual) and of women in intersectional contexts of race, class, and sexuality.
