LibGuides: Middle East and North Africa (MENA): Local Collections

Digital resources on this page are open to the public.

Pre-1979 Revolution Iranian Political Pamphlet Collection

The University of Oklahoma has acquired a substantial collection of primary source material relating to the 1979 Iranian revolution. Most material is in Persian. The collection comprises more than 350 items, mostly consisting of pamphlets and short political tracts produced by intellectuals, student activists, and political parties working to overthrow the Pahlavi monarchy. Much of the material was printed and circulated by leftist and Islamist opposition groups residing in Europe and North American during the 1960s and 1970s. The bulk of the material is in Persian. For more information see Dr. Afshin Marashi's guide, below. Also see this link to all titles in the library's catalog and this Featured Collection.

To use the collection, please contact the History of Science Collections.

Carl Albert Center Congressional Archives & Julian P. Kanter Political Commercial Archive

The Carl Albert Congressional Archives, part of the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center, holds the papers of more than 60 former members of Congress and 25 other leaders, congressional staffers, and journalists. The Julian P. Kanter Political Commercial Archive is also available through the Studies Center. It is recognized internationally as a major source for political research and considered to be one of the major sources for political commercials in the world. Many of the political commercials are available on YouTube, including some international ads.

The finding aids to both collections are searchable in ARC.

Microform Materials

The library has a large collection of microform materials (microfilm and microfiche) held in off-site storage. The collections must be requested via Sooner Xpress. See this guide for microforms related to the Middle East and this guide for microforms produced by the U.S. State Department related to the Middle East.

For example, the library owns State Department files from various Middle Eastern countries such as: Confidential U.S. State Department Files. Saudi Arabia, 1960-January 1963 (Internal and Foreign Affairs). A guide to that microfilm is available here.

History of Science

(Cuneiform tablet brick, Ziggurat of Choga Zanbil, in western Iran, written in ancient Elamite about 1300 BCE. 3D view)

The History of Science Collections supports multidisciplinary research in every chronological period, geographic region, and subject area of science, technology, and medicine. An area of recent concentration is Islamic science.

Included in the Collections is the cuneiform tablet, pictured above. Holdings also include facsimiles of Arabic scientific and medical manuscripts as well as original works (printed books and manuscripts). Numerous Western travel accounts from the 17th through 19th centuries are held in the History of Science Collections as well the other 5th floor Special Collections.

Contact the History of Science Collections for more information about their holdings.

Among the manuscripts in the Collections is this Ethiopian Bible. Little is known about this work, so if you can help answer questions about it, please get in touch!

Western History Collections

The Western History Collections' materials primarily relate to the development of the Trans-Mississippi West and Native American cultures; however, some collections are relevant to Middle East and North African studies. For example:

The Sandra Mackey Papers and Slides, 1962-2013. Mackey was a journalist, educator, author, and Middle East expert.
The Diplomatic Archive holds official declassified and personal papers of former ambassadors and other presidential appointees who have ties to Oklahoma. The archive provides scholars with access to historical documents on U.S. politics and international diplomacy.
- Includes the
  - Patrick Jay Hurley Collection, 1900-1956. Hurley served as special presidential representative to Afghanistan and the Middle East. (Also the Patrick Jay Hurley Photograph Collection.)
  - Jeane J. Kirkpatrick papers, 1961-2002. Kirkpatrick served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and foreign policy advisor to President Reagan.
  - George C. McGhee papers, 1928-2005. McGhee served as the eighth U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and was one of the first individuals to negotiate with Saudi Arabia on behalf of the U.S.
  - Edward J. Perkins papers, 1928-2009. Perkins served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.

Search the ArchivesSpace database to discover more MENA material.

Please note: collections are stored off-site. Arrange access through a research appointment.