Library Home Page: Speech Cross-Cultural Project Research Guide: Background Information

Background Information

A number of reference resources are available to assist in learning about the customs, religious beliefs, and communication styles of individuals from other cultures. Unless indicated, the following resources focus on countries of the world from a U.S. perspective. You may find it useful to consult several different resources as the each resource contains varying topics. Keep in mind there are many additional resources as well including dictionaries about specific world religions.

To Use or Not Use Wikipedia

The following print reference books are available in the Jessie C. Eury Library. A brief description of each work appears underneath the title and call number. Although overlap exists between resources, each book listed approaches the topic from a different angel and includes information not available in another. For example, some include information on the roles and rights of women while others focus more on food and etiquette.

CultureGrams
Call Number: R 390 P9659 2010
Publication Date: 2010
"Discover the world with CultureGrams, concise cultural and statistical snapshots of every country recognized by the United Nations, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. Local experts document the intimate details of each country's customs, traditions, and daily life, with unique perspectives on culture ranging from attitudes, greetings, and gestures, to the arts, recreation, daily diet, and more."
Encyclopedia of Holidays and Celebrations: a Country-by-Country Guide by Matthew Dennis, editor
Call Number: R 394.26 D4116
This three-volume encyclopedia focuses on how secular and religious holidays are celebrated in countries around the world. Volumes 1 and 2 contain an alphabetical list of all world countries and the celebrations within that country while volume 3 provides background information on holidays and religions.
Encyclopedia of the World's Nations and Cultures by George Thomas Kurian
Call Number: R 903 K9685
Publication Date: 2006
This four volume encyclopedia covers all the world's nations and is organized in alphabetical order.
Encyclopedia of World Cultures by David Levinson, editor in chief
Call Number: R 306.097 L665
ISBN: 0816118086
This 10 volume set focuses on specific people groups rather than countries. When using this resource, look up the country in the index to find the volume and page number of the specific people group. Be aware that the name of a people group may change slightly particularly when a people group is spread over several countries.
Religions of the World: a Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices by J. Gordon Melton and Martin Baumann, editors.
Call Number: R 291 M5286
ISBN: 1576072231
This four volume encyclopedia includes articles on the religious beliefs of specific countries as well as entries on specific religions, sub-groups within religions, and places of religious importance. Articles are arranged alphabetically.
Handbook of World Families by Bert N. Adams; Jan Trost
Call Number: R 306.8 A2113
Publication Date: 2004-11-11
The Handbook of World Families provides a cross-cultural perspective on the family by examining family life in 25 countries worldwide. The countries included in this volume are organized by six world regions including Africa, Asia/South Pacific, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and North America - offering readers the most thorough and balanced cross-cultural examination of world families available. (from publisher)

The Jessie C. Eury Library provides access to over 80 full-text reference books through Sage Knowledge. These books may be browsed or searched commpletely online. When accessing these items off-campus, you will be prompted to log-in using your Lincoln Christian username and password.

Sage Knowledge This link opens in a new window
Nearly 80 full text reference encyclopedias and handbooks which may be browsed, searched, and utilized online. Search across all available resources or select a specific title. To access from off-campus, you will need to log-in with your username and password.

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by Leslie Starasta Last Updated Sep 14, 2022 0 views this year

CIA World Factbook
An annual factbook published by the U.S. CIA to provide up to date demographic information on world countries.
Centre for Intercultural Learning
A website based out of Canada providing information on world countries and interacting with individuals from other cultures.
Lausanne Documents
The Lausanne Movement's purpose is to mobilize "evangelical leaders to collaborate for world evangelism." The Lausanne Movement has published many documents that provide a theological overview and strategies for evangelizing certain people groups. Paper #55 is particularly useful for this project.
These papers are also available in the Jessie C. Eury Library at 269.2 L388.