Sociology Collection

Women’s Museum of California Library and Archives

Sociology Collection, 1935-1995

Collection Overview

Title: Sociology Collection

Accession Number: AC-011

Prepared by: Dakota Greenwich

Head Archivist: Julia Friedman

Date Acquired: Unknown

Date processed: January 22, 2019

Location: Women’s Museum of California, San Diego, CA

Language: Collection material is in English

Extent: 5 cubic boxes (5 linear ft)

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions: Open to research

Use Restrictions: None

Subject/Topical

Sociology

Women’s rights

Form/Genre

Journals

Articles

Newsletters

Publications

Newspapers

Pamphlets

Brochures

Historical Note

            Sociological research between the early 1960’s to the early 1980’s shifted to include more empirical, science-based research on a variety of groups within the modern society, evident in the publication of peer-reviewed, scientific journals intended for academia. Women in particular were studied for their growing autonomy and independence within the household and workplace, the shifts of which can be understood in relation to the growth of second-wave feminism. Research on women tended to investigate the shift in metanarratives and societal structure, gender roles, family dynamics, labor and workplace dynamics, education, and other various issues specifically experienced by women. The development of sociology to include post-structuralism, structuralism, postmodernism, and phenomenology as modes of thought for research gave room for recognizing the various issues the women’s rights movement aimed to challenge, and can be explored in various journals within the collection, such as Family Life Coordinator, Children: an interdisciplinary journal, Social Problems, Women’s Studies Quarterly, and American Sociological Review.

Brief History of Sociological Movements in the U.S. and Abroad

            Sociology throughout the 19th and 20th centuries experienced a tumultuous journey to being considered a true “science,” politicized, and continually undermined due to its historic association with more liberal thought by conservative universities and academia. By the mid-20th century, the field of sociology, particularly U.S./American sociology, grew increasingly empirical in nature, and incorporated post-structuralism, postmodernist theory, phenomenology, and the dissolution of metanarratives as modes of thought. These developments encouraged the integration and usage of sociology by businesses and government agencies for various uses. The bulk dates of the collection range from the early 1960s to the early 1980s, essentially documenting the continued growth and empiricalization of sociology in relation to second wave feminism.

            The modes of thought often defining sociology throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s include post-structuralism, structuralism, postmodernism, and phenomenology, among others. Post-structuralism can be understood as the continued study of human culture understood through a structure that differs from reality and abstract thought, but differentiates itself from its predecessor in defining society with a plurality of meanings and an innate instability of concepts used by structuralism. Moreover, postmodernism focuses on social progress and human nature, rejecting overarching narratives to describe a society’s experience and the ideologies of modernism. Phenomenology, in the context of sociology, is the philosophical study of the structures of experience and consciousness as a style of thought that emphasizes the reflection on and the study of the structures of consciousness. These modes of thought in relation to sociology supported the study and investigation of modern consciousness, social roles and environments, and human thought and discourse.

            Women’s growing roles within the workplace, increased autonomy within the household, and independence within American society are all documented and investigated within the journals included in this collection and within sociological research during this era. Major research areas focused on the effects of women’s autonomy, roles in the workplace, presence in higher education, and the various family dynamics beyond the nuclear family on society at large and on children. The research conducted within these modes of thought was utilized as a tool by government groups and businesses and contributing to new types of research methods. Sociology within the 1960s and 1970s also contributed to the rise in conflict theories that emphasized social struggle. The incorporation of new modes of thought and emphasization, particular in research focusing on women, within this era tended to support the concerns of second-wave feminism by investigating and providing evidence for the social roles, dynamics, and cultural environments women of all ages, groups, and educational levels, etc functioned within.

Summary of the Collection

            The Sociology Collection consists of 5 boxes divided into 3 series: “Family life and Marriage Journals and Publications,” “Women’s Issues Journals and Publications,” and “General Sociology Journals and Publications Related to Women’s Issues.” The collection contains materials providing information on sociological research and modes of thought relating to the development of women’s roles within modern society, the development of the women’s rights movement, and the experiences of the majority and minority group women. Consisting of journals, publications, newsletters, pamphlets, booklets, brochures, course and educational material, study guides, and newspaper clippings, this collection provides extensive information on women’s sociology and the scientific, sociological perspectives of researchers during that era.



Container List: Box and Folder Material

Box 1:

Series 1: Family Life and Marriage Journals and Publications

            Series 1: Box 1: Folder 1: Journal of Home Economics (1 of 2) 1963-1965

            Series 1: Box 1: Folder 2: Journal of Home Economics (2 of 2) 1965-1966

            Series 1: Box 1: Folder 3: Marriage (1 of 5) 1962, 1982/83

            Series 1: Box 1: Folder 4: Marriage (2 of 5) 1970-1986

            Series 1: Box 1: Folder 5: Marriage (3 of 5) 1959, 1982-1987

            Series 1: Box 1: Folder 6: Marriage (4 of 5) 1959-1974

            Series 1: Box 1: Folder 7: Small booklets on early marriage; Marriage (5 of 5) 1949-1987

            Series 1: Box 1: Folder 8: Marriage Statistics Materials and Study Guide (1 of 2) 1962-1981

            Series 1: Box 1: Folder 9: Marriage Statistics Materials and Study Guide (2 of 2) 1966

            Series 1: Box 1: Folder 10: Family Education Materials (1 of 4) 1963-1975

            Series 1: Box 1: Folder 11: Family Education Materials (2 of 4) 1962, 1986

            Series 1: Box 1: Folder 12: Family Education Materials (3 of 4) 1962-1989

            Series 1: Box 1: Folder 13: Family Education Materials (4 of 4) 1958-1966

            Series 1: Box 1: Folder 14: Instructor’s Manuals: Family Life and Marriage 1935, 1960-1976

            Series 1: Box 1: Folder 15: Family Life Coordinator (1 of 6) 1955-1964

            Series 1: Box 1: Folder 16: Family Life Coordinator (2 of 6) 1965

            Series 1: Box 1: Folder 17: Family Life Coordinator (3 of 6) 1966

            Series 1: Box 1: Folder 18: Family Life Coordinator (4 of 6) 1976-1978

            Series 1: Box 1: Folder 19: Family Life Coordinator (5 of 6) 1979

            Series 1: Box 1: Folder 20: Family Life Coordinator (6 of 6) 1962-1964

            Series 1: Box 1: Folder 21: Journal of Family History (1 of 2) 1982-1983

Box 2:

Series 1: Family Life and Marriage Journals and Publications

            Series 1: Box 2: Folder 22: Journal of Family History (2 of 2) 1983-1985

            Series 1: Box 2: Folder 23: Family Relations: A Journal of Applied Family Studies (1 of 2) 1980

            Series 1: Box 2: Folder 24: Family Relations: A Journal of Applied Family Studies (2 of 2) 1986

            Series 1: Box 2: Folder 25: Lower Class Family (1 of 2) 1966

            Series 1: Box 2: Folder 26: Lower Class Family (2 of 2) 1966

            Series 1: Box 2: Folder 27: TRANSITION: Toward a More Familial Society 1980-1984

            Series 1: Box 2: Folder 28: Multi-Cultural/Multi-Ethnic Family Education Resources (1 of 2) 1965-1971

            Series 1: Box 2: Folder 29: Multi-Cultural/Multi-Ethnic Family Education Resources (2 of 2)

            Series 1: Box 2: Folder 30: Non-Traditional Marriage and Family Life (1 of 3) 1968-1972

            Series 1: Box 2: Folder 31: Non-Traditional Marriage and Family Life (2 of 3) 1961-1987

            Series 1: Box 2: Folder 32: Non-Traditional Marriage and Family Life (3 of 3) 1973-1975

            Series 1: Box 2: Folder 33: Children: an Interdisciplinary Journal (1 of 4) 1962-1984

            Series 1: Box 2: Folder 34: Children: an Interdisciplinary Journal (2 of 4) 1962-1984

            Series 1: Box 2: Folder 35: Children: an Interdisciplinary Journal (3 of 4) 1962-1984

            Series 1: Box 2: Folder 36: Children: an Interdisciplinary Journal (4 of 4) 1962-1984

            Series 1: Box 2: Folder 37: Child Study: A Quarterly Journal

Box 2:

Series 2: Women’s Issues Journals and Publications

            Series 2: Box 2: Folder 38: Sex Roles (1 of 5)

            Series 2: Box 2: Folder 39: Sex Roles (2 of 5)

            Series 2: Box 2: Folder 40: Sex Roles (3 of 5)

            Series 2: Box 2: Folder 41: Sex Roles (4 of 5)

            Series 2: Box 2: Folder 42: Sex Roles (5 of 5)

            Series 2: Box 2: Folder 43: Sex Roles and Public Policy (1 of 2)

            Series 2: Box 2: Folder 44: Sex Roles and Public Policy (2 of 2)

            Series 2: Box 2: Folder 45: Women’s Rights (1 of 3)

            Series 2: Box 3: Folder 46: Women’s Rights (2 of 3) 1963-1986

            Series 2: Box 3: Folder 47: Women’s Rights (3 of 3) 1971-1992

Box 3:

Series 2: Women’s Issues Journals and Publications

            Series 2: Box 3: Folder 48: Women’s Rights, International (1 of 2) 1972-1976

            Series 2: Box 3: Folder 49: Women’s Rights, International (2 of 2) 1965-1974

            Series 2: Box 3: Folder 50: Government Publications (1 of 2) 1973-1982

            Series 2: Box 3: Folder 51: Government Publications (2 of 2) 1979

            Series 2: Box 3: Folder 52: Women in Higher Education 1966-1975

            Series 2: Box 3: Folder 53: Women’s Education (1 of 3) 1973-1978

            Series 2: Box 3: Folder 54: Women’s Education (2 of 3) 1970-1984

            Series 2: Box 3: Folder 55: Women’s Education (3 of 3) 1972-1973

            Series 2: Box 3: Folder 56: Sex Equality in Education 1962-1982

            Series 2: Box 3: Folder 57: Labor, Law, and Women 1962-1980

            Series 2: Box 3: Folder 58: Status of Women, Labor Statistics (1 of 2) 1970-1976

            Series 2: Box 3: Folder 59: Status of Women, Labor Statistics (2 of 2) 1970-1979

            Series 2: Box 3: Folder 60: Women’s History (1 of 3) 1971

            Series 2: Box 3: Folder 61: Women’s History; Women in the Eighteenth Century America: A Study of opinion and social usage by Mary Sumner Benson, Ph.D, 1935 (2 of 3)

            Series 2: Box 3: Folder 62: Women’s History; The Victorian Woman, by Duncan Crow (3 of 3)

            Series 2: Box 3: Folder 63: Women’s Psychology (1 of 2) 1974

            Series 2: Box 3: Folder 64: Women’s Psychology (2 of 2) 1972-1975

            Series 2: Box 3: Folder 65: Women’s Study Materials (1 of 2) 1975-1995

            Series 2: Box 3: Folder 66: Women’s Study Materials (2 of 2) 1973-1979

            Series 2: Box 3: Folder 67: Women’s Studies Quarterly (WSQ) (1 of 2) 1982

            Series 2: Box 3: Folder 68: Women’s Studies Quarterly (WSQ) (2 of 2) 1982-1983

            Series 2: Box 3: Folder 69: Women; A Journal of Liberation 1972-1974

            Series 2: Box 3: Folder 70: Belles Lettres: A Review of books by women (1 of 2) 1991-1992

            Series 2: Box 3: Folder 71: Belles Lettres: A Review of books by women (2 of 2) 1992-1994

            Series 2: Box 3: Folder 72: Women and Aging (1 of 2) 1977-1986

            Series 2: Box 3: Folder 73: Women and Aging (2 of 2) 1972-1982

            Series 2: Box 3: Folder 74: Health of Women and Children 1965-1994 (bulk dates 1965-1980)


Box 4:

Series 2: Women’s Issues Journals and Publications

            Series 2: Box 4: Folder 75: Abortion 1969-1989

            Series 2: Box 4: Folder 76: Prostitution 1962-1975

            Series 2: Box 4: Folder 77: Women and Assault 1981

            Series 2: Box 4: Folder 78: Women and War 1976-1982

            Series 2: Box 4: Folder 79: Women’s Studies Abstracts (1 of 2) 1972
            Series 2: Box 4: Folder 80: Women’s Studies Abstracts (2 of 2) 1972

Box 4:

Series 3: General Sociology Journals and Publications re Women’s Issues

            Series 3: Box 4: Folder 81: Social Problems (1 of 2) 1978, 1980

            Series 3: Box 4: Folder 82: Social Problems (2 of 2) 1982

            Series 3: Box 4: Folder 83: Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP) 1992,1997

            Series 3: Box 4: Folder 84: Social Casework 1976-1978

            Series 3: Box 4: Folder 85: Sociological Perspectives 1983-1987

            Series 3: Box 4: Folder 86: Journal of Current Social Issues, 1977

            Series 3: Box 4: Folder 87: The American Philosophical Association Newsletters 1989-1992

            Series 3: Box 4: Folder 88: American Sociological Review (1 of 4) 1963-1964

            Series 3: Box 4: Folder 89: American Sociological Review (2 of 4) 1965, 1974

            Series 3: Box 4: Folder 90: American Sociological Review (3 of 4) 1967

            Series 3: Box 4: Folder 91: American Sociological Review (4 of 4) 1975-1977

            Series 3: Box 4: Folder 92: Pacific Sociological Review 1971-1978

            Series 3: Box 4: Folder 93: Revue Internationale de Sociologie 1978

                       Scope and Contents note: Materials written in Italian, Spanish, French, and English.

            Series 3: Box 4: Folder 94: General materials on religion and family 1966-1983

            Series 3: Box 4: Folder 95: General bibliographies (1 of 2) 1964-1976

            Series 3: Box 4: Folder 96: General bibliographies (2 of 2) 1972-1973

Box 5:

Series 3: General Sociology Journals and Publications re Women’s Issues

            Series 3: Box 5: Folder 97: Catalogs of Books Written by Women and newspaper clippings 1972-1990

            Series 3: Box 5: Folder 98: Foreign Language Journals 1974

            Series 3: Box 5: Folder 99: Miscellaneous 1973-1978



Scope and Contents of the Materials:

Series 1: Boxes 1 and 2

            Series 1 consists of journals, booklets, photocopies, newsletters, small publications, booklets, brochures, pamphlets, and general educational materials on marriage, family relationships, dynamics, and development from 1949 to 1987. Journals included in this series focus on studies in family, child development, the future of women and marriage. The journals also focus on the influences of family life dynamics on children, multicultural families and non-white families, namely Black, Iranian, Puerto Rican and Jewish families, and non-traditional families, including divorce, feminism in the household, communes and polyamorous relationships, as well as low income families. Journals included in series 1 include the Journal of Family History, Family Life Coordinator, Children: an Interdisciplinary Journal, and Family Relations: A Journal of Applied Family Studies, all of which aim to publish peer reviewed, original research on sociological topics. Materials also consist of brochures and pamphlets intended for instructor use on sex education and family life. The majority of materials originate from the United States with a national scope, intended on contributing to the field of sociology.

Series 2: Boxes 2, 3, and 4

            Series 2 consists of journals, newsletters, small publications, booklets, brochures, pamphlets, and literature on women’s issues, as well as materials on women’s issues related to rights, sexuality, social roles, aging, reproductive rights, psychiatry, labor, education, and family life from 1935 to 1994, with the bulk of materials ranging from 1962-1984. Most materials in series 2 are peer-reviewed journals and/or published literature and have a national scope intended on contributing to the field of sociology. Some materials relating to women’s rights specifically focus on and discuss the rights of Black and Chicana women, as well as women in various other minority groups both in the U.S and abroad. International materials in Box 3 focus on international women’s movements. Box 3 also contains various materials, such as newsletters, journal articles, and booklets, related to the research on women and provides readers information on research conducted on women’s health, social and family roles, labor efforts, and women in higher education. Box 4 also contains photocopies of books related to women’s history and women’s psychology, including Women in the Eighteenth Century America: A Study of opinion and social usage by Mary Sumner Benson, Ph.D, published in 1935.

Series 3: Boxes 4 and 5

            Series 3 consists of general sociology peer-reviewed journals ranging from 1962-1994. Notable articles, having been indicated throughout the journals via the author of the collection, are related to family relations and family dynamics, violence in pornography, intercultural marriage, family abuse, newsletters on Latin American Feminism, and general sociology research. The newsletters and journals provide readers with up to date abstracts and information from studies and research relating to major sociology and psychology topics. Notable journals included within series three include Social Problems, The American Sociological Review, and The Journal of Social Issues, Sociological Perspective, all of which publish pertinent articles focusing on sociological issues as a means to better understand complex social dynamics and environments. These journals share a national scope with the intent to contribute to the field of sociology.