Asian History: Primary Sources

Definition

"Primary sources are materials produced by people or groups directly involved in the event or topic under consideration, either as participants or witnesses." Secondary sources, on the other hand, "comment on and interpret primary sources".*

Examples of Primary Sources

• Diaries, memoirs, autobiographies, letters, interviews, oral histories, personal narratives
• Contemporaneous newspapers, magazines, and journals
• Manuscripts, archival materials
• Vital records
• Government documents
• Government records
• Laws, cases, transcripts, minutes, hearings
• Maps
• Statistical data, including census data
• Photographs, films, film scripts
• Music, sound recordings, musical scores
• Research data
• Art and graphics
• Realia, e.g. tools, needlework, etc.

*Mary Lynn Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History, 4th ed. (Boston: Bedford, 2004), pp. 5-6.

See Primary Sources in American History for details on primary sources and how to find them.

• Read secondary sources with attention to primary sources mentioned.
• Check the bibliographies and footnotes of secondary source books, articles and dissertations.
• Browse the Library shelves in your subject area:
  • Chinese history, DS701 to DS797
  • Japanese history, DS801 to DS897
  • Indian history, DS427 to DS486
• Don't overlook government documents for official proceedings, laws, policy statements, reports, and statistics.
• A contemporaneous newspaper article or periodical article (from an historic period) may be considered a primary source.

See also materials on the Newspapers & Periodicals tab of this guide.

East Asian History Sourcebook
Great source for Chinese, Japanese and Korean history. Differentiates between primary and secondary sources.

International historical statistics
Worldwide coverage of statistics, including population and vital statistics, labor, agriculture, industry, trade, transport & communications, agriculture, education, and national accounts.

East Asian Studies Research Guides, Princeton University Library
Large collection of links and citations to materials in East Asian Studies.