History And Philosophy


Welcome to QNL’s History & Philosophy Subject Guide!

The challenge of recording history lies not in knowing the facts per se, but rather in knowing which events truly took place. Hence, it is imperative to adopt an objective approach that is a combination of methods and techniques to discover the historical truth when studying the events and facts of the past.

This guide provides an overview of recommended QNL collections on history and philosophy such as databases, books, journals, reference and other resources, printed or digital, that are accessible through different websites and platforms.

Please search the QNL Catalog to find out which of the recommended resources can be accessed in digital format on the QNL website. The catalog also indicates where these resources can be obtained if available only in a printed format.

For study or general reference questions and further assistance on how to find relevant materials for your information needs, please feel free to contact us through the Ask QNL Librarians service.
 

Databases

The following databases include articles, books, ebooks and more related to history and philosophy. For a comprehensive list of the Library’s databases, please visit QNL Online Resources.

Al Manhal
This database provides a unique access to Arabic ebooks from the Arab world's leading universities, research centers and scientific societies.

Encyclopedia of Islam
This comprehensive reference tool focuses on Islamic studies, with an emphasis on economic and social topics. It also gives access to the Historical Atlas of Islam.

eBook Central
ProQuest’s Ebook Central eBooks from trusted publishers in all academic subject areas, including business, computers, engineering, fine arts, history, literature, medicine and religion.

Dar Almandumah
Dar Almandumah offers a wide range of Arabic resources, including: AraBase, a rich resource of mostly periodicals and yearbooks published in Arabic worldwide since 1934, as well as academic journals in language and literature; EduSearch, an educational informatics gateway for specialists and researchers in the field of education; and HumanIndex, a pioneering source in the humanities that offers access to research and studies published in Arabic since 1940.

LitFinder[DB1] 
This online database provides indexing and full-text access to thousands of poems, short stories, essays, plays, and speeches in areas such as literature, history, economics, sociology, art and architecture, philosophy, psychology, science, and drama dating back to the 9th century BC. Its entries include biographies, author pictures and entry explanations.

Arts and Humanities Database
The Arts and Humanities Database includes peer-reviewed articles relevant to the fields of applied arts and cultural studies. Subject strengths are art, design, photography, archaeology, architecture, interior design, modern languages and literature, and cultural studies.

Research Library
ProQuest’s Research Library is a general database of scholarly journals, trade publications, magazines and newspapers. The database includes more than 5,000 titles, starting from 1971.

SpringerLink
This large collection includes scientific, technical and medical ebooks and journals; ebooks that do not show a summary are available in full text.

ScienceDirect eBooks
Science Direct eBooks is a full-text database of scientific books covering physical sciences, engineering, life sciences, health, social sciences, and humanities. QNL’s current subscription provides full-text access to about 20,000 book chapters and more than 2,500 open access journals.

Print Books

Below is a list of recommended print books related to history and philosophy. For more books, search the QNL Catalog.

Anscombe, F. (1997). The Ottoman Gulf: The Creation of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.[DB1] 
Call Number: DS243 .A57 1997
Anscombe sheds light on the Ottoman Empire’s role in the history of the Gulf, an area often neglected in modern Arab historiography.

Cleveland, W. L. (2013). A History of the Modern Middle East (5th ed.). Boulder, Colo: Westview Press
Call Number: DS62.4 .C53 2013
This book provides analysis of modern Middle Eastern history, from the Ottoman and Egyptian reforms through the challenge of Western imperialism to the Iranian Revolution and the Gulf War.

Fakhry, M. (2004). A History of Islamic Philosophy. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.[DB2] 
Call Number: B741 .F23 2004
In this modern classic, Fakhry explores Islamic thought throughout history and its impact on Muslim culture.

Freedman, P. H. (2007). Food: The History of Taste. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Call Number: TX353 .F668 2007
Freedman applies the discoveries of the new generation of food historians to the pleasures of dining and the culinary accomplishments of diverse civilizations past and present.

Ebooks

This is a list of recommended ebooks on history and philosophy. For more ebooks, search the QNL Catalog.

Commins, D. (2012). The Gulf States: A Modern History. London, United Kingdom: I. B. Tauris.
This book provides a comprehensive overview of the modern history of the Gulf States from the 14th century to the present, covering economic, social, cultural and religious aspects.

Descartes, R. (1990). Meditations on First Philosophy. Raleigh, N.C: Alex Catalog.
Descartes’s Meditations is a fundamental work of the modern era in Western philosophy.

Radner, K. (2014). State Correspondence in the Ancient World: From New Kingdom Egypt to the Roman Empire. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.
Radner offers detailed insights into state correspondences in the Mediterranean and the Middle East from 1500 BC to 600 AD.

Saunders, J. J. (2002). A History of Medieval Islam. London: Routledge.
From the rise of Islam to the Mongol conquests, this book explains the main trends of Islamic historical evolution during the Middle Ages.

Online Resources

Qatar Digital Library
The Qatar Digital Library is an online portal that provides users worldwide free access to an extensive collection of historical archival items related to Qatar, the Gulf region and the wider Middle East, including archives, maps, manuscripts, sound recordings, photographs and much more. Each entry has contextualized explanatory notes and links in both English and Arabic.

Islamic Art Network
Initiated by the non-profit Thesaurus Islamic Foundation, this website provides free access to digital resources in the field of Islamic Art, including photographs, out-of-print books, articles, online exhibitions and more.

Philosophy Pages
This website provides detailed information about the Western philosophical tradition, including a dictionary of philosophical terms and names, a timeline of Western philosophers, and other useful tools.

History World
The site provides articles, timelines, quizzes and other resources covering major events in world history.