Email molsmithHuman Relations Area Files Overview (Anthropology)
Maori Man, New Zealand. |
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What are the Human Relations Area Files? Where are the Files Located? How are the Files Organized? Where Can I Get Help? What are the Human Relations Area Files? The Human Relations Area Files (HRAF) is a database of full-text ethnographies on nearly 400 different ethnic, cultural, religious, and natural groups worldwide. It is used to find information on a particular culture or cultural trait or for making cross-cultural comparisons. The Files include thousands of pages of text from books, articles, and unpublished manuscripts as well as English translations of foreign texts available exclusively in HRAF. HRAF Table of Contents: Click Cultures in HRAF for a detailed list of all files, both online and fiche. Scroll down to see the list of culture files. Files are listed alphabetically by region: i.e., Africa, Asia, Europe, Middle East, North America, Oceania, South America, etc. Unlike the list of cultures covered in eHRAF, this list includes ALL the culture files in HRAF, both in microfiche (shelved in GIMSS) and online in eHRAF. HRAF Guide How to Cite HRAF Where are the Files Located? HRAF is available in two formats: 1. A microfilm collection housed in Government Information, Microforms and Statistical Services on the 2nd floor of the Wells Library. Most of the Files are only available in this format. 2. In eHRAF, an electronic full-text version of the files, available on the web to authorized Bloomington users (on and off campus). As of Fall 2002, approximately one-third of the files are in electronic form. 222 cultures in microfiche only 55 cultures in eHRAF 415 cultures in total How are the Files Organized? The Files are indexed in two ways—by cultural group and cultural traits. 1. Cultural Groups (Outline of World Cultures): The Files are first organized into cultures. Each culture is designated by a four character alphanumeric code. These codes are taken from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC) which classifies all known cultural or ethnic groups based on their geographic location. The first letter of each culture's code refers to the broad geographic region where it is located: A=Asia N=North America E=Europe O=Oceania F=Africa R=Russia (cultures located in the former Soviet Union and Russia) M=Middle East S=South America For example, the Masai are designated as FL12, while the Crow and Highland Scots are referred to as NQ10 and ES10 respectively. 2. Cultural Traits (Outline of Cultural Materials): A unique and powerful feature of HRAF is that it provides detailed subject indexing of every cultural trait described in the texts. The Outline of Cultural Materials (OCM) is the classification system used for this indexing. The OCM is divided into some 80 broad headings that are further subdivided into nearly 700 topics. The data contained in each paragraph of the ethnographic texts are indexed with these three-digit OCM codes. Some common OCMs include: kinship terminology (601), forms of marriage (583), clans (618), and ethnic relations (563). Where Can I Get Help? Help is available: 1. In-person at the GIMSS Reference Desk 2. By phone at 855-6924. 3. By e-mail at molsmith (at) indiana.edu. |
