ABOUT
HUMAN RELATIONS AREA FILES
"Human Relations Area Files, Inc. (HRAF) is an internationally recognized organization in the field of cultural anthropology. Founded in 1949 at Yale University, HRAF is a not-for-profit membership consortium of universities, colleges, and research institutions. Its mission is to encourage and facilitate the cross-cultural study of human culture, society and behavior in the past and present."
While access to the HRAF files requires a paid subscription, there is now an open access to Explaining Human Culture. "Edited and compiled by Carol R. Ember, Explaining Human Culture is a searchable database summarizing cross-cultural research findings from over 1000 studies. This unique service provides an interactive way for researchers to explore what previous cross-cultural research has uncovered about cultural universals and differences. In addition to searching past anthropological findings, we have also provided a series of topical summary modules authored by cross-cultural experts which offer a deeper look into selected cross-cultural topics of interest."