eHRAF World Cultures Guide

Printable version of this guide

Introduction

The Human Relations Area Files (HRAF) is a collection of books and articles about different cultures throughout the world. To facilitate cross-cultural research, indexers at HRAF code each paragraph in these documents according to its topic. The paragraphs are labeled with 1 or more numeric codes (e.g. 855 for paragraphs about child care).

HRAF was originally produced on paper and microfiche (see the “Guide to the Human Relations Area Files”), but all new additions and some of the backfiles are available online:

• eHRAF World Cultures
• eHRAF Archaeology

For a list of which cultures are covered in which format, see HRAF's Complete Collection List.

Questions? Ask a librarian.

Two Major Ways to Search eHRAF documents:

1. Search

Search through all the paragraphs of all the documents for subjects, cultures, or text.

2. Browse

Browse by subject (A-Z Index, Major Subjects, OCM Code) or culture/traditions (A-Z Index, Regions, Countries).

SEARCH

To search eHRAF, click on the search tab at the top of the eHRAF World Cultures home page.

This will take you to the following screen:

The search page is divided into four sections:

1. Basic

Search for terms or phrases and the database will automatically match your search with the cultures and subjects indexed in the database and in the document text.

2. Lookup

Search for one or more cultures, subjects, and/or terms in the document text.

3. Advanced

Construct Boolean searches with multiple clauses using one or more cultures, subjects, and/or terms in the document text.

4. Bibliography

Select one or more cultures and then enter one or more terms to search in the document abstract, title, author, or all fields.

BROWSE BY CULTURE

To browse by culture means to look through the full list of cultures available. This can be done by clicking the “Browse” tab at the top of the page.

This will take you to the following screen:

There are three options for culture browsing:

1. A-Z Index

Lists all cultures available in HRAF in alphabetical order. Clicking on the name of the culture will link to a brief description of that culture.

2. Region

Lists all the cultures grouped according to area of the world (Asia, Western Africa, etc.).

3. Countries

Lists every culture grouped according to country.

BROWSE BY SUBJECT

To browse by subject means to look through the full list of subjects available. This can be done by clicking the “Browse” tab at the top of the page.

This will take you to the following screen:

There are three options for subject browsing:

1. A-Z Index

Lists all subjects available in HRAF in alphabetical order. Clicking on the subject will link to a brief description including broader and related subjects.

2. Major Subjects

Lists all the subjects grouped according to major subjects (Arts, Education and Knowledge, etc.).

3. OCM Code

Lists subjects by OCM Code. OCM stands for Outline of Cultural Materials. Researchers at HRAF came up with a number of broad subject categories (like sickness, marriage, kin relations, etc.). They then gave each of these subjects a number code. For example, SICKNESS is number 750; MARRIAGE is 580; and KIN RELATIONS is 602.

Citing HRAF Documents

Sources simply reproduced by HRAF (primarily English language monographs) can be cited as if the information were found directly in those sources (HRAF need not be mentioned). If HRAF sources are used heavily in research for a publication, however, authors sometimes mention that fact in a note.

Citations for sources translated for HRAF should contain translation information (e.g. "Translated for the Human Relations Area Files by M. E. Fontaine, 1989").