South Asian Studies
Welcome to the South Asian Studies subject guide - your guide to using the library resources, services and facilities for your subject.
Research a topic
A major part of your learning at university is doing your own research for assignments, projects, your dissertation, etc. This means you need to be able to do a comprehensive search for books, journal articles, and other sources relevant to a specific topic that provide a base of knowledge, help you explore a topic and allow you to form your own ideas and opinions on the topic. This is often referred to as literature searching.
On this page we have gathered together a range of online resources that allow you to do this kind of searching and help you do better research.
For more guidance on literature searching see our Literature Searching guide.
Finding scholarly literature
Use these databases to search for scholarly literature e.g. journal articles, book chapters & reviews, conference reports and proceedings, etc., for your subject area.
Using DiscoverEd to find scholarly literature
As well as searching the Library's physical and local collections i.e. books, e-books, journals, etc., DiscoverEd is also searching a wide range of the e-journals and databases the Library has access to so it's easy to find scholarly literature. DiscoverEd is always a good place to start your searching.
Using Google Scholar to find scholarly literature
Google Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature. From one place, you can search across many disciplines and sources: articles, theses, books, abstracts and court opinions, from academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities and other web sites. Like DiscoverEd, Google Scholar can be a good place to start your search but it does not allow for advanced or complex searching as in the databases.
Google Scholar may not provide access to full-text, however, by linking to the Library you can access full-text where there is a University subscription.
- Select Settings from the top of the Google Scholar Home Page
- Select Library Links
- Search for University of Edinburgh. Select it from the list and Save your settings
You will now see FindIt@Edinburgh links next to items in your Google Scholar results that you can use to access the full-text.
This short video below demonstrates how to do this.
Newspapers and news media, TV and film
Use these key databases to search for and access current full-text newspaper and news sources articles, including both UK and international titles.
- Factiva Please note that whilst Factiva can be used for academic research it is read only, bulk downloading and/or analytics of the content is restricted by the database provider. Permitted users are limited to download what can be reasonably read in one day. Excessive downloading may result in your access and the access of other University users being restricted. For more information see the Factiva User Guide - https://proquest.libguides.com/factiva
The Library has access to a large number of newspaper databases that allow you to search for both current and archive content.
Use these databases to search for and view TV news programmes, documentaries, interviews, films, etc.
- Box of Broadcasts (BoB) For access on and off-campus click the Sign In button, type University of Edinburgh in the 'Where are you from?' box and log in with EASE. The first time you log in you may be asked for your University email address.
If you're going to be using "news" sources as part of your research then it is worth taking a look at our guide on misinformation, disinformation and "fake news" which gives an overview of this area and strategies to help you meet this issue.
Primary sources
The Library has purchased access to a large number of primary source databases that allow you to easily search and view this kind of material.
- Church Missionary Society Periodicals, module 1: Global Missions and Contemporary Encounters, 1804-2009 This link opens in a new window From its roots as an Anglican evangelical movement driven by lay persons, this resource encompasses publications from the CMS and the latterly integrated South American Missionary Society. Documenting missionary work from the 19th to the 21st century, the periodicals include news, journals and reports offering a unique perspective on global history and cultural encounter.
- Church Missionary Society Periodicals, module 2: Medical Journals, Asian Missions and The Historical Record, 1816-1986 This link opens in a new window The focus of this second module is on the publications of CMS medical mission auxiliaries, the work of the Church of England Zenana Missionary Society among women in Asia and the Middle East, newsletters from native churches and student missions in China and Japan, and 'home' material including periodicals aimed specifically at women and children subscribers. Articles, often in the form of letters authored by missionaries abroad, are enhanced by detailed illustrations and photographs of their surroundings, the mission community and the people among whom they worked.
- Empire Online This link opens in a new window Collection of 60,000 images of original manuscripts and printed material with accompanying thematic essays. The content comes from library and archive collections worldwide, and can used to support teaching and learning. Full details of how to incorporate images into course materials are provided. Covers the period 1492-1962.
- Evangelism in India: Correspondence of the Board of Foreign Missions, 1833-1910 This link opens in a new window Evangelism in India took the form primarily of village itineration where male and female missionaries ministered to the spiritual needs of the populace while simultaneously attending to their medical and educational needs. The collection documents the Board of Foreign Missions’ tripartite ministry (Farukhabad, Punjab, and the West Indian missions) in India but also reflects the development of the modern Indian state in a broader sense. Reaction to foreigners generally and Protestant missionaries specifically, discontent with British rule and the development of the Independence movement, and racial and internecine religious warfare between Hindu and Muslim populations are well documented.
- Foreign Office Files for India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, 1947-1980 This link opens in a new window This resource covers the political and social history of India, Pakistan and Afghanistan from 1947 to 1980, featuring essential content on Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim and Kashmir, as well as other frontier regions. Files look at the impact on UK, US and European trade, industrial policy, education and the media through a vast array of material including diplomatic dispatches, inward and outward telegrams, newspaper cuttings and transcripts, maps, photographs, political and economic reports, accounts of visits and tours, minutes of meetings, conference proceedings, letters, leaflets and more.
- India from Crown Rule to Republic, 1945-1949: Records of the U.S. State Department This link opens in a new window Independent India’s first years were marked with turbulent events - partition, a massive exchange of population with Pakistan, the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 and the integration of over 500 princely states to form a united nation. This collection identifies the key issues, individuals, and events in the history of the Subcontinent between 1945 and 1949, and places them in the context of the complex and dynamic regional strategic, political, and economic processes that have fashioned India in the postwar period.
- Pakistan from Crown Rule to Republic: Records of the U.S. Department of State, 1945-1949 This link opens in a new window A companion archive to India from Crown Rule to Republic, 1945-1949, this collection traces the end of British India and the emergence of modern Pakistan. Representative documents with valuable details include the “Economic Survey,” dated April-June 1949, and issued by the Board of Economic Inquiry, West Punjab, Lahore, and “Dacca Newsletter,” dated July 1949. The collection is sourced from the Central Files of the General Records of the Department of State. The records are under the jurisdiction of the Legislative and Diplomatic Branch of the Civil Archives, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C.
- South Asia Archive This link opens in a new window The South Asia Archive is a specialist digital platform providing global electronic access to culturally and historically significant literary material produced from within, and about, the South Asian region. Contains millions of pages of digitized primary and secondary material in a mix of English and vernacular languages dating back to the start of the 18th Century, up to the mid-20th Century. Contains Journals, Reports, Books, Legislation documents and Indian Film Booklets.
- South Asian Newspapers (1864-1922) This link opens in a new window This one-of-a-kind collection provides online access to a select group of South Asian newspapers from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Featuring English-, Gujarati- and Bengali-language papers published in India, in the regions of the Subcontinent that now comprise Pakistan, and in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). South Asian Newspapers offers extensive coverage of the people, issues and events that shaped the Indian Subcontinent between 1864 and 1922.
- The Times of India (1838-2010) This link opens in a new window The Times of India is the world's largest circulation English daily newspaper. Founded in 1838 to serve the British residents of West India, The Times of India now circulates more than 4 million copies, covering almost 8 million Readers. The Times of India is particularly valuable for its coverage of key historical events in India, including the rise of Gandhi's Civil Disobediance movement, the 1947 Independence and Partition through to the landmark date of 1998 when Pakistan became a nuclear power. The Times of India provides exceptional depth to the study of colonial and post-colonial times, class and gender issues, religion, as well as international economics, international relations and cultural studies.
Databases for other subject areas
The academic field of South Asian Studies crosses over with a number of other disciplines. Depending on your research area it may be worthwhile looking at the databases available in other subject areas e.g.
See a full list of subjects and their recommended databases at: