This bibliography was developed by the library at the International Mission Board, and they have given me permisison to pass it on to you.
To find out if these books are available in your local area, go to www.worldcat.org
1. Search for the title you want
2. Click on the record you want. (Be sure you have the correct edition: the Gale Encyclopedia has two editions; you want the 2nd ed. published in 2000)
3. On the record that comes up, you can click on the "Libraries" tab and enter your zip code, and the system will tell you which libraries in your area own a particular book.
List of Resources
The Newest Americans, by Sandy Probst.. Westport, Conn: Greenwood press, 2003.
This is a 5-volume set which provides historical, social, political and cultural information on more than 30 immigrant groups, focusing on those from 1960 to the present. Each chapter has information about the group's history in this country and their religion, as well as some basic statistics about how many there are in the U.S. and where they are located.
Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America, 2nd ed. Detroit: The Gale Group, 2000.
This is a 3-volume set containing profiles of 152 ethnic, ethnoreligious, and Native American cultures in the United States. While each essay includes information on the country of origin and circumstances surrounding major immigration waves (if applicable), they focus primarily on the group's experiences in the United States, specifically in the areas of acculturation and assimilation, family and community dynamics, language, religion, employment and economic traditions, politics and government, and significant contributions to American society. Wherever possible, each entry also features directory listings of periodicals, broadcast and Internet media, organizations and associations, and museums and research centers. Each entry also cites sources for further study.
Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups, edited by Stephen Thernstrom. Cambridge, Mass. : Belknap Press of Harvard University, 1980.
Although this resource is considerably dated, it remains the most comprehensive survey of American ethnic groups available. In addition to the individual articles on 106 ethnic groups, it contains valuable chapters on how to determine what constitutes an ethnic group, and a discussion of "methods of estimating the size of groups."
A Nation of Peoples : A Sourcebook on America's Multicultural Heritage, edited by Elliott Robert Barkan, Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 1999.
This book is a more up-to-date overview of "America's ethnic peoples" than the Harvard Encyclopedia listed above, although more limited in scope, as it covers only 27 distinct groups. Each chapter on an ethnic group has a detailed bibliography of source materials, and there is an extensive bibliography at the end of the book that would provide an excellent starting point for further research.
Arab American Encyclopedia, edited by Anan Ameri and Dawn Ramey. Detroit : U X L (an imprint of the Gale Group), 2000.
This book covers a wide range of topics on Arab Americans, but the chapter titled "Community Profiles" discusses Arab Americans in different regions of the United States. There is a 2-page bibliography of sources for further research.
The Arab Population 2000: Census 2000 Brief, by G. Patricia de la Cruz. Washington, D.C. : U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Dept. of Commerce, 2003.
This is the first of a series of reports on the ethnic makeup of the U.S. population, that are based on the 2000 Census. The report is available on the Internet at: http://www.christianitytoday.com/assets/10346.pdf
It is described as follows: As part of its ongoing series of Census Briefs, the U.S. Census Bureau released this 12-page document in December 2003 that examines the Arab population around the United States. The document begins with a description of how the Census enumerates which groups tend to identify as being of Arab ancestry, and then proceeds to discuss some of the findings from data gathered in the 2000 Census. Some of the findings include that the Arab population increased by nearly 40 percent during the 1990s and that people of Lebanese, Syrian, and Egyptian ancestry accounted for about three-fifths of the Arab population in the United States. The document also contains important information about the spatial distribution among persons of Arab ancestry, such as the finding that approximately half of the Arab population was concentrated in only five states, and that the state with the greatest proportion of Arabs was Michigan. [From: THE SCOUT REPORT, Dec. 19, 2003]
Asian Americans Information Directory, 1994-95 : A Guide to Organizations, Agencies, Institutions, Programs, Publications, and Services Concerned with Asian and Pacific Islander American Nationalities and Ethnic Groups in the United States, edited by Charles B. Montney. Detroit : Gale Research Inc., 1994.
This reference book covers information on groups associated with over 20 major Asian nationalities and ethnic groups in the United States and Canada.
The Encyclopedia of the Chinese Overseas, edited by Lynn Pan. Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, 1999.
While this is a comprehensive, world-wide directory, the chapter on the United States (pp.261-273) contains a chart on "The States with the Largest Chinese Populations," as well as occupational and educational information about the U.S. Chinese population.
We the People: An Atlas of America's Ethnic Diversity, edited by James Paul Allen and Eugene James Turner. New York: Macmillan, 1988.
The statistics are somewhat dated, but the value of this book is in the detailed maps of the United States showing the locations of different ethnic groups.
"America's Racial and Ethnic Minorities," by Kevin Pollard and William P. O'Hare. Population Bulletin, v. 54, n.3, September 1999.
Contains more recent statistics, although of a more general nature than some of the other resources.
The Ethnic Cultures of America: A Reference for Teachers, Librarians and Administrators, by P.R. Fischetti. Washington, DC: Educational Extension Systems, 1997.
This book compiles information about more than 100 ethnic groups in the United States, including something about their cultures, traditions, and religions.
Islam in North America: A Sourcebook, edited by Michael A. Koszegi and J. Gordon Melton. New York : Garland Pub., 1992.
This book has general chapters on Islam and Arab Americans, but it also has many detailed bibliographies and lists of sources.
Muslim Communities in North America, edited by Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad and Jane Edleman Smith. Albany, N.Y.: State University of New York Press, 1994.
Consists of 22 essays about different Muslim ethnic groups in various (mostly urban) parts of the United States.
The North American Muslim Resource Guide : Muslim Community Life in the United States and Canada, by Mohamed Nimer. New York : Routledge, 2002.
This very recent book discusses many aspects of Muslim life in the U.S. and includes a detailed bibliography, plus chapters with directory-type information on ethnic associations, community development groups, the media, public affairs organizations and research organizations.
And here are a few more:
Hispanic Realities Impacting America: Implications for Evangelism and Missions, by Daniel Sanchez. Ft. Worth, TX: Church Starting Network, 2006.
God Needs No Passport : Immigrants and the Changing American Religious Landscape, by Peggy Levitt. NY: New Press, 2007. A sociologist looks at the new realities of religion and migration and how they affect America.
Korean American Evangelicals: New Models for Civic Life, by Elaine Howard Ecklund. NY: Oxford University Press, 2006.
God in Chinatown : Religion and Survival in NewYork's Evolving Immigrant Community, by Kenneth J. Guest. NY: New York University Press, 2003.
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