History Social Science Research Council

1 history

1.1 history
1.2 post-world war ii
1.3 post-cold war
1.4 past presidents

history
early history

the ssrc came being in 1923 result of initiative of american political science association s committee on research, headed association s president, charles e. merriam (1874–1953), political science chair @ university of chicago , champion of behaviorally oriented social science.

representatives of american economic association, american sociological society, , american statistical association joined merriam , associates in forming world s first coordinating body of social sciences.

other national associations—in anthropology, history, , psychology—designated representatives new entity, named social science research council (ssrc), in year following incorporation on december 27, 1924. (in subsequent years, membership expand include representatives law, geography, psychiatry, , medicine.)

to support work, ssrc turned not u.s. government, support seemed more appropriate natural sciences, private foundations. first fifty years, on three-quarters of ssrc s funding provided russell sage foundation, ford foundation, carnegie corporation, , 2 rockefeller philanthropies, laura spelman rockefeller memorial , rockefeller foundation.

the ssrc part of wider progressive era movement develop organizations of expertise dispense disinterested knowledge policymakers. these organizations tap leading thinkers in various fields think creatively how rid nation of social , political ills brought on industrial revolution.

other independent, nongovernmental, policy-minded institutions founded in era included american law institute (1923), brookings institution (1927), , council on foreign relations (1921). council s main distinguishing feature commitment advancement of research in social sciences in united states.

similar other progressive-era institutions, ssrc represented new kind of hybrid—one in ways defined more wasn t was. not governmental body, removed pressures of washington , public calls quick-fix solutions social problems. not academic association—so freed disciplinary boundaries. not university , hence did not have confront competing demands services unrelated research.

along merriam, 2 individuals vital ssrc s success. 1 wesley clair mitchell (1874–1948), 1 of founders of new school social research , leading force behind emergence of national bureau of economic research in 1920s. other beardsley ruml, had trained in psychometrics @ university of chicago. ruml active in phases of rockefeller philanthropies. poured rockefeller resources social sciences in general , ssrc in particular.

all 3 men channeled progressive values cause of empirical research , knowledge. in 2001 history of ssrc, kenton worcester highlighted 4 aspects of founding vision remain central day:

starting in mid-1920s council sponsored annual conferences , launched research training fellowships program.

committees launched in 1920s , 1930s included:

agriculture (1925–42)
crime (1925–32)
industrial relations (1926–30)
business research (1928–31)
pressure groups , propaganda (1931–34)
government statistics , information services (1933–37)
social security (1935–45)

one of council s first acts urge congress appropriate funds sufficient allow library of congress publish annual index of state laws. 1923, ssrc cooperated national research council in study of human migration social standpoint, said institution s first global endeavor.

franklin d. roosevelt served member of council s advisory committee on business research (1928–1931). after became president, collaborations between administration officials, rockefeller foundation, council staff, , council networks led committee work accompanied formulation , implementation of social security.

during world war ii, council served bridge between roosevelt administration , social sciences, working behind scenes ensure qualified social scientists placed appropriate agencies. joined forces humanities counterpart, american council of learned societies (acls), , other partners form ethnogeographic board, mission of providing information unfamiliar societies war bringing americans contact. board developed roster of people specialized area knowledge , conducted survey of nascent area studies programs in american universities.

post-world war ii

the identity of council in latter half of 20th century closely overlap development of area studies , promotion of modernization theory.

in wake of world war ii, there widespread consensus on need united states invest in international studies. liberals , conservatives alike viewed creation of large brain trust of internationally oriented political scientists , economists urgent national priority. there considerable tension, however, between felt that, instead of applying western models, social scientists should develop culturally , historically contextualized knowledge of various parts of world working closely humanists, , thought social scientists should seek develop overarching macrohistorical theories draw connections between patterns of change , development across different geographies. former became area studies advocates, latter proponents of modernization theory.

in context, postwar ssrc had 2 separate agendas, extent @ odds each other because entailed different sets of methodological commitments: ideographic versus nomothetic. on 1 hand, ssrc keen join forces country s major foundations—most notably, ford foundation, rockefeller foundation, , carnegie corporation of new york—to promote area studies. agenda, had natural institutional partner, acls; indeed, 2 councils had worked during war mapping out u.s.-based foreign studies.

on other hand, ssrc wished promote behavioralist social science—an agenda directly descended charles merriam s prewar concerns.

to further interests in area studies, ssrc teamed acls in administering area research training fellowships funds carnegie corporation , in forming committee on world area research. in words of ssrc historian eldrige sibley: [t]his committee served primary planning, coordinating , evaluating agency @ national level entire foreign area , language movement in united states.

to further behavioralist agenda, ssrc set various other committees—including, notably, committee on political behavior, organized in 1945 pendelton herring , headed @ various times david truman, david easton, , robert dahl, of whom serve presidents of american political science association; , committee on comparative politics, organized in 1953 , headed gabriel almond , lucian pye, both of whom became apsa presidents.

the ssrc s agenda behavioral social sciences largely came apart in 1970s, leaving area studies central platform. then, ssrc , acls had emerged national nexus raising , administering funds area studies. created , managed dozen joint committees covering:

africa (1960–96)
china (1981–96)
eastern europe (1971–96)
japan (1967–96)
korea (1967–96)
latin america (1942–47; 1959–96)
muslim societies (1985–93)
near , middle east (1959–96)
south asia (1976–96)
southeast asia (1976–96)
soviet union (1983–96) [successor committee on slavic , east european studies (1971–77) , slavic , east european studies committee (1948–71)]
western europe (1975–96)

the joint ssrc-acls committees accomplish of work—field development workshops, conferences, , publications—with funding ford foundation. in 1972 ford conferred 2 councils responsibility managing centerpiece program, foreign area fellowship program (fafp). next 30 years, ssrc , acls award approximately 3,000 area studies dissertation fellowships and, funds other foundations well, 2,800 postdoctoral area studies research grants. in kenton worcester s words: cumulative total of awards field research outside united states staggering.

annual reports of ssrc indicate area committees had impressive record of productivity , influence on area studies , disciplines encompassed. in particular, scholars appeared appreciate fertile ground ssrc/acls area committees provided interdisciplinary scholarship. korea specialist bruce cumings put it: decades [these committees] offered rare venue 1 see historian thought of work of economist, or literary critic thought of behavioralist sociology. according cumings, ssrc particularly appreciated meeting ground between traditional social science disciplines , area studies.

even when area studies occupied center stage, ssrc continued support advanced research on social themes of day. in 1970s , 1980s, convened committees addressing such topics cognitive research, law , social science, international peace , security, states , social structures, urban underclass, , urban migration.

the council s forays non-area studies limited, however, challenges of funding environment. in immediate postwar period, ssrc had benefited unprecedented federal support of social , domestic programs, increased public attention social science research. growing tide of american conservatism, begun in 1950s, led populist backlash against federal funding of social research. time president ronald reagan assumed office, political atmosphere had soured on role of social sciences , public investment in social research.

post-cold war

the end of cold war , quickening pace of globalization turned future of area studies number 1 issue council management in concluding years of 20th century. under stewardship of 4 successive presidents—david featherman (1989–95), kenneth prewitt (1995–98), orville gilbert brim, jr. (98–1999), , craig calhoun (1999–2012)—the ssrc closed down area committees in favor of reorganized international program thematic, cross-regional, , cross-cultural components. according vision, area studies field transformed , integrated traditional social science disciplines—especially, economics, sociology, , political science. emphasis shift country , area theme , context-sensitivity.

the ssrc s records stored in rockefeller archive center, north tarrytown, new york.

past presidents

ira katznelson (2012-2017)
craig calhoun (1999–2012)
orville gilbert brim, jr. (1998–99)
kenneth prewitt (1995–98)
david featherman (1989–95)
frederic wakeman, jr. (1986–89)
francis x. sutton (acting president, 1985–86)
kenneth prewitt (1979–85)
eleanor sheldon (1972–79)
ralph w. tyler (1971–72)
henry riecken (1968–71)
edward pendleton herring (1948–68)




^ kenton w. worcester, social science research council 1923-1998 (ssrc, 2001), pp. 15-16.
^ rockefeller center archives, ssrc organizational history. http://www.rockarch.org/collections/nonrockorgs/ssrc.php. retrieved 2009-04-23.
^ see john b. judis, paradox of american democracy: elites, special interests, , betrayal of public trust (new york: pantheon, 2000), p. 19-20; 30.
^ according boilerplate, purpose of ssrc plan, foster, promote , develop research in social field.
^ eldrige sibley, social science research council: first fifty years, reprinted in kenton w. worcester, social science research council 1923-1998 (ssrc, 2001), p. 132.
^ worcester, p. 17.
^ worcester, pp. 24-26.
^ worcester, p. 23.
^ worcester, p. 27.
^ sibley, reprinted in worcester, p. 191.
^ worcester, p. 77.
^ nils gilman, mandarins of future: modernization theory in cold war america, ch. 4.
^ sibley, reprinted in worcester, p. 192.
^ judith goldstein, new world of area studies, in stanford s interaction (spring 2007). http://multi.stanford.edu/interaction/0507/area.html. retrieved 2008-04-27. see david l. szanton, origin, nature , challenges of area studies in united states, in politics of knowledge: area studies , disciplines, ed. david l. szanton (university of california press, 2004), pp. 10-11.
^ statistics worcester, part two.
^ david ludden, area studies in age of globalization, 1/25/98 paper. http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~dludden/areast2.htm. retrieved 2009-04-17.
^ bruce cumings, boundary displacement: area studies , international studies during , after cold war, in bulletin of concerned asian scholars 29 (1997). http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/cumings2.htm. retrieved 2009-04-23. see szanton, politics of knowledge, p. 369.
^ worcester, pp. 65-72.
^ worcester, pp. 57-60.
^ stanley heginbotham, rethinking international scholarship: challenge of transition cold war era, items 48.2-3 (june–september 1996), p. 32.