This article provides ready-to-use, concise descriptions for South Asia Commons and its modules—ideal for adding to your library’s A-Z database lists, discovery tools, subject guides, or promotional materials.
South Asia Commons (main database)
A digital platform providing access to historical and cultural resources focused on South Asia. Combines content from the South Asian History and Culture collection and the South Asia Archive, offering a comprehensive research experience for South Asian studies. Includes primary sources, journals, books, newspapers, reports, and cultural artifacts spanning several centuries. Supports research in history, politics, anthropology, sociology, literature, gender studies, and other South Asia-related disciplines.

Important Tip:
In your A-Z lists, Learning Management Systems, research guides, and other locations where users discover resources, It’s important to list both the platform (the Commons) and the individual module.
For example, on the Policy Commons platform, the Public Health and Social Care module offers specialized content that focuses on healthcare policy, social services, and community health initiatives. If you list only Policy Commons, users searching for public health-specific resources may miss the Public Health and Social Care collection. By featuring both the platform and the collection (the module), you increase discoverability of subject-specific content.
South Asian History and Culture
A full-text index of digital cultural resources from South Asia, containing materials from 1000+ collections and over 500,000 cultural artifacts. Includes books, historical journals, reports, video, audio, newspapers, magazines, letters, diaries, and zines in a single searchable interface. Valuable for programs in South Asia studies, media studies, politics, gender, culture, anthropology, sociology, and global studies research.
South Asia Archive
A collection of 4.5 million pages of historical documents from the Indian subcontinent spanning 1700–1953. Includes journals (Calcutta Law Journal, Indian Annual Register, others), census reports (1901–1951), rare books (including translations of The Upanishads), legal records, Indian film booklets (1930–1949), and ephemera. Originally collected by the South Asia Research Foundation and essential for research on colonial and postcolonial South Asia.
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