Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in History

As part of Women’s History Month Atkins library would like to encourage you explore The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in History to learn more about the women who shape our world.

The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History, edited by Bonnie G. Smith, captures the experiences of women throughout history in a far-reaching, four-volume work. Although there has been extensive research on women in history by region, no other text or reference work has comprehensively covered the role women have played throughout world history. With over 650 biographies of influential women and over 600 topical articles covering topics such as geography and history, culture and society, organizations, movements, and gender studies, Women in World History is the definitive reference work in the field.

In the past thirty years there has been an explosion of research and an effort to present the experiences and contributions of women not only in the Western world, but across the globe. Scholars have investigated women’s daily lives in virtually every area and researched the leadership roles women have filled across times and regions. They have found that there is virtually no historical, social, or demographic change in which women have not been involved and by which their lives have not been affected. Women in World History helps tell this story, illuminating how women worldwide have influenced and been influenced by these historical, social, and demographic changes. (Source). 

Happy Women's History Month!

LGBT Studies in Video

LGBT Studies is an important topic of our time and there have been many works produced that explore the lives of LGBT people within our society and throughout the world.  One medium that has been especially prolific in creating works providing insight into the LGBT community is film.  Atkins Library has purchased a collection of these videos to aid in research related LGBT Studies.

“LGBT Studies in Video is a cinematic survey of the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people as well as the cultural and political evolution of the LGBT community. This first-of-its-kind collection features award-winning documentaries, interviews, archival footage, and select feature films exploring LGBT history, gay culture and subcultures, civil rights, marriage equality, LGBT families, AIDS, transgender issues, religious perspectives on homosexuality, global comparative experiences, and other topics.” (source)

Here are some films that are including in the collection:

• Abomination: Homosexuality and the Ex-Gay Movement, profiling the journeys of four gay Christians who did everything possible to become heterosexual by following the “treatment” protocols of the so-called ex-gay ministries.
• Fight Back, Fight AIDS: 15 Years of Act Up, a compilation of footage documenting the first ACT UP meeting in 1987 on New York City’s Wall Street and continues to 2002.
• Paris Was a Woman, a documentary featuring the lives of lesbian ex-patriots living in France between The Great War and WWII, including Berenice Abbot, Djuna Barnes, and Gertrude Stein (with archival footage and interviews
• Just Married: The Epic Battle Over Gay Marriage, which examines the events in Massachusetts following the state supreme court’s 4:3 ruling in favor of same-sex marriage.

If this important social topic is of interest to you please visit LBGT Studies in Video, and explore the collection of videos available.