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update MIRIAMKATHLEEN RO BBSHELDONINS DEXTER CSW 2011 Why a His!rian Wri"s Reþrence Works HAVE ALWAYS enjoyed working contributions of scholars. The most useful on reference works, although they reference sources are those that are areI sometimes treated as marginal to written by recognized experts and edited “serious” academic research. Because by more experts with credentials and the format is often brief entries on topics [YHPUPUNPUHWHY[PJ\SHYÄLSK that appear easy to pull together, it may My own research has been in African seem as if anyone with a computer could women’s history, with a special focus on write reliable entries on a wide variety of Mozambique. I have written and edited topics—just look at Wikipedia! Although a number of articles and two books that site has improved since it began, on African women’s and Mozambican it continues to present skewed and history. But what I also enjoy, and what sometimes undocumented information as I have time and support for doing as a “truth.” As a historian who has written for CSW Research Scholar, is contributing and edited quite a few reference works to encyclopedias and dictionaries. Most over the years, I would argue that reliable notably, I wrote the Historical Dictionary reference publications depend on the of Women in Sub-Saharan Africa, which 3 was published in 2005, and reissued in and I blithely took on the task of reading Encyclopaedia Britannica on line (1999) paperback in 2010 with a new title, The L]LY`[OPUN^LJV\SKÄUKH[HZR[OH[ and the World Book Encyclopedia (2001), A to Z of Women in Sub-Saharan Africa. was still possible then, though clearly as well as entries on Mozambican topics Just to facilitate my own research, in the impossible now. We divided the subject for the New Encyclopedia of Africa (2007), 1970s I began compiling a database on areas between us, and wrote annotations the International Encyclopedia of the (MYPJHU^VTLUÄYZ[VUPUKL_JHYKZ[OLU describing the material and its usefulness Social Sciences (2008), and most recently transferring all the citations to a computer in a classroom. When Peg saw the for the Berg Encyclopedia of World Dress program. I now have over 8,000 entries, result, she thought it was publishable, and Fashion (2010). While to a certain all coded for relevant topics, allowing me HUK[OLÄYZ[WYLZZZOLJVU[HJ[LK()* extent encyclopedia entries do not [VYHWPKS`ÄUKW\ISPZOLKZV\YJLZVUHU` Clio in Santa Barbara, agreed. We then require a great deal of original research, number of issues. The database provided ^VYRLKOHYKVUÄUHSPaPUNV\YJVU[LU[ writing an article on fashion and dress a crucial starting point for many of the with help in compiling the index from did demand that I seek out new sources entries in my historical dictionary as well Carolyn Williams, another history graduate and rethink information from earlier as for other projects. student; that was a complicated task in publications of mine. 4`ÄYZ[LMMVY[^HZPUT`LHYS``LHYZ those pre-computer days. Our Guide to But the greater part of my as a graduate student at UCLA in Social Science Resources in Women’s contributions to reference sources the late 1970s. The women’s studies Studies was published in 1978, and was has been focused on African women. I movement was still new, and professors VULVM[OLÄYZ[YLMLYLUJL^VYRZPU[OLUL^ began by writing an article on African were trying to incorporate material on ÄLSKVM^VTLU»ZZ[\KPLZ0[^HZZLSLJ[LK women’s history for the Encyclopedia of women into classes they were already as a Choice “Outstanding Academic Historians and Historical Writing (1999). teaching. Margaret (Peg) Strobel was Book” in 1979. I then repeatedly revised and updated interim director of the UCLA Women’s It was some years before I once again that essay for the Encyclopedia of African Studies Program then, and she saw the turned to reference work, though in the History (2005), the New Dictionary of need for an annotated list of materials interim I wrote an article that analyzed the History of Ideas (2005), the New on women that would be a source for colonial-era reference works, “‘Rats Encyclopedia of Africa (2007), and the those professors. She found work-study Fell from the Ceiling and Pestered Me’: Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern funding for me and a graduate student in Phrase Books as Sources for Colonial World-VY[OLÄ]L]VS\TLNew anthropology to compile a list of sources Mozambican History,” in History in Africa Encyclopedia of Africa, I also wrote an on women in the social sciences, with 25 (1998). In the late 1990s I began additional eight entries on topics related an emphasis on women in international contributing to reference publications. to women, and I was the editor for the studies. My co-author, Elizabeth Oakes, I wrote entries on Mozambique for the “women” subject area. I went on to write 4 csw update: special issue celebrating the CSW research scholars three entries on African and Mozambican publications, and key events, and 150 For instance, Esther Afua Ocloo (1919- women for the Oxford Encyclopedia of short essays on important concepts such 2002) was a Ghanaian market woman Women in World History (2008). as feminism, fertility, markets, music, who pioneered microloans in Africa. She For the past year I have again been and religion. I hoped it would serve as a was the daughter of poor farmers and a subject editor for women, this time for broad introduction to African women’s she went to high school in Accra on a the forthcoming Dictionary of African history, through a series of brief, readable scholarship from the Cadbury chocolate Biography, to be published later this year entries, most with cross-references to JVTWHU`(M[LYZOLÄUPZOLKOPNOZJOVVS by Oxford. In the projected two published related items. PU[OL ZOLYH\U[VMMLYLKOLYÄUHUJPUN volumes with 2000 entries, the editors Quite a few of the entries required of less than one dollar which Ocloo used and I set a goal of 15 to 20 percent for that I engage in basic historical research, to purchase the materials to make twelve the entries on women, which is a very looking up archival sources and contacting jars of marmalade. With her earnings high percentage when compared to other individual women to verify information invested back into her enterprise, within biographical dictionaries. In addition to about their lives. In the process of a few years she expanded into making helping choose which women to include, researching and writing that book, I learned juice, won a contract with the military to ÄUKPUNH\[OVYZMVY[OLHY[PJSLZHUKLKP[PUN a lot about little known political leaders, supply orange juice, and advanced into two hundred submissions, I wrote two poets and writers, religious innovators, manufacturing other canned foodstuffs. dozen entries myself. We hope to maintain artists and musicians, and many other :OL\ZLKOLYPUJVTL[VÄUHUJLOLY that percentage with the online version of African women who have made impressive further education in food technology the dictionary, which will include 10,000 contributions to their communities and to in England, and invested in projects articles on African men and women. the world. The book of course included designed to improve women’s economic My most notable reference work, such well-known women as South opportunities. In 1975 at the United however, was my Historical Dictionary African anti-apartheid leader Winnie Nations Decade for Women meeting in of Women in Sub-Saharan Africa. That Mandela, Kenyan environmentalist and Mexico City she learned about micro- resource included an overview essay on politician Wangari Maathai, who won the loan programs, in which poor women the history of African women, a timeline, Nobel Peace Prize in 2004, and Liberian were awarded very small loans which and an extensive bibliography of over 7YLZPKLU[,SSLU1VOUZVU:PYSLHM[OLÄYZ[ have a high rate of repayment due to the one hundred pages, introduced with a woman to be elected president of any support groups formed by the grantees. historiographic essay. I wrote all of the African nation. But I was more intrigued In 1979 Ocloo and several other women nearly 700 articles myself, including by some of the lesser-known women who established Women’s World Banking as brief biographies of 280 women, have made real contributions to their own a vehicle to make such loans, and Ocloo entries on more than 200 organizations, societies and to the world. was named chairwoman. In 1990 she 5 csw update: special issue celebrating the CSW research scholars was a co-winner of the $100,000 Hunger honorary doctorates in literature from the a valuable source of information about Project Africa Prize in recognition of her National University of Lesotho (1984) and African women in the 1950s and 1960s. accomplishments. the University of Fort Hare (2002). The history profession has given For another entry, I had read a I also hoped that my dictionary would some recognition to reference work. The passing reference to Caroline Ntseliseng prove useful not simply as an entry American Historical Association gives 'Masechele Khaketla, who was one of the Waldo G. Leland Prize for the most point for novices in the study of African [OLÄYZ[^VTLUW\ISPZOLKPU3LZV[OV0 V\[Z[HUKPUNYLMLYLUJL[VVSPU[OLÄLSK women, but that it would bring attention OHK[YV\ISLÄUKPUNV\[TVYLHIV\[OLY of history, though it is only offered once to forgotten publications such as the until I contacted the Lesotho Embassy L]LY`Ä]L`LHYZ(UKPU0^HZHISL[V in Washington, D.C. They put me in 1950s journal, African Women. Beginning participate in the International Congress of Historical Sciences, in Sydney, Australia, contact with the poet’s daughter, who in 1954, it was published twice a year by where my presentation on “Writing an was a cabinet minister at that time, and I the Department of Education in Tropical Historical Dictionary of Women in Sub- eventually was able to write an informed Areas at the University of London.

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