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Ekstrom Library

WGST 591/691 - Snyder

Primary Source Ideas & Examples

Primary sources are original objects or documents related to your topic. Since you're researching a wide variety of subjects, there's no one-size-fits all primary source type that will be relevant to everyone! However, some primary sources you might consider for your research include:

  • historical or legal documents (legislation on detention of pregnant or postpartum individuals)
  • statistical data (stats related to rates of sex tourism or revenue generated)
  • interviews (interview with a prison abolitionist scholar)

Finding Primary Sources

Many of the types of primary sources you might be interested in can be found using Google. Try searching for your topic plus the type of source you'd like to find: 

  • laws on detention of pregnant or postpartum individuals
  • sex tourism statistics

It can also be helpful to search for primary sources about a particular person/event/performance:

  • Angela Davis interview prison abolition

The library provides access to primary source databases; keep in mind that these are mostly for historical primary sources like historic news, letters, and other archival materials. Some primary source databases that might contain information relevant to this course: