Harvard Department of Social Relations
Encyclopedia
The Department of Social Relations for Interdisciplinary Social Science Studies, more commonly known as the "Department of Social Relations" was an interdisciplinary collaboration among three of the social science departments at Harvard University
(anthropology
, psychology
, and sociology
) beginning in 1946. Originally, the program was headquartered in Emerson Hall at Harvard before moving to William James Hall in 1965. While the name "Social Relations
" is often associated with the program's long-time chair and guiding spirit, sociologist Talcott Parsons
, many major figures of mid-20th-century social science also numbered among the program's faculty, including psychologists Gordon Allport
(personality and motivation), Jerome Bruner
(cognitive psychology and narrative analysis), Roger Brown
(social psychology and psycholinguistics), and Henry Murray
(personality); anthropologists Clyde and Florence Kluckhohn (value orientations), John and Beatrice Whiting (cross-cultural child development), Evon Z. Vogt (comparative religion); and sociologist Alex Inkeles (Soviet studies and national character). Many of its graduate students also went on to be major figures in U.S. social sciences during the latter part of the twentieth century; their work tends towards strong interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary approaches.
Allport and Boring origins of the department's name in the April 1946 issue of the American Psychologist:
Social Relations sponsored or collaborated in a number of research studies characterized by explicit cross-cultural comparisons and multidisciplinary approaches to problems of policy or social theory. Major projects included the Six Cultures Study (headed by John and Beatrice Whiting, an anthropological study of child development in six different cultures, including a New England Baptist community; a Philippine barrio; an Okinawan village; an Indian village in Mexico; a northern Indian caste group; and a rural tribal group in Kenya); a multidisciplinary analysis of Soviet culture and society, published in part as How the Soviet System Works; and the Comparative Study of Values in Five Cultures during the 1950s, which examined five very different communities living in the same region of Texas: Zuni, Navajo
, Mormon
(LDS), Spanish-American (Mexican-American), and Texas Homesteaders.
The program disaggregated into its component departments around 1972, though a certain interdisciplinarity remained throughout the 1970s. Today, the name remains in the Social Relations Library at Harvard.
A similar program at Yale, the Institute for Human Relations, also now disbanded, developed the Human Relations Area Files, a cross-cultural database for comparative research, administered by Carol and Melvin Ember.
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
(anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
, psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, and sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
) beginning in 1946. Originally, the program was headquartered in Emerson Hall at Harvard before moving to William James Hall in 1965. While the name "Social Relations
Social relation
In social science, a social relation or social interaction refers to a relationship between two , three or more individuals . Social relations, derived from individual agency, form the basis of the social structure. To this extent social relations are always the basic object of analysis for social...
" is often associated with the program's long-time chair and guiding spirit, sociologist Talcott Parsons
Talcott Parsons
Talcott Parsons was an American sociologist who served on the faculty of Harvard University from 1927 to 1973....
, many major figures of mid-20th-century social science also numbered among the program's faculty, including psychologists Gordon Allport
Gordon Allport
Gordon Willard Allport was an American psychologist. Allport was one of the first psychologists to focus on the study of the personality, and is often referred to as one of the founding figures of personality psychology...
(personality and motivation), Jerome Bruner
Jerome Bruner
Jerome Seymour Bruner is an American psychologist who has contributed to cognitive psychology and cognitive learning theory in educational psychology, as well as to history and to the general philosophy of education. Bruner is currently a senior research fellow at the New York University School...
(cognitive psychology and narrative analysis), Roger Brown
Roger Brown (psychologist)
Roger William Brown , an American social psychologist, was born in Detroit.-Early Life and Education:...
(social psychology and psycholinguistics), and Henry Murray
Henry Murray
Henry Alexander Murray was an American psychologist who taught for over 30 years at Harvard University. He was Director of the Harvard Psychological Clinic in the School of Arts and Sciences after 1930 and colluded with Stanley Cobb, Bullard Professor of Neuropathology at the Medical School to...
(personality); anthropologists Clyde and Florence Kluckhohn (value orientations), John and Beatrice Whiting (cross-cultural child development), Evon Z. Vogt (comparative religion); and sociologist Alex Inkeles (Soviet studies and national character). Many of its graduate students also went on to be major figures in U.S. social sciences during the latter part of the twentieth century; their work tends towards strong interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary approaches.
Allport and Boring origins of the department's name in the April 1946 issue of the American Psychologist:
- While [academic] departmental lines have remained rigid, there has been developing during the last decade, a synthesis of socio-cultural and psychological sciences which is widely recognized within the academic world in spite of the fact that there is no commonly accepted name to designate the synthesis. We propose that Harvard adopt, and thus help establish, the term Social Relations to characterize the emerging discipline which deals not only with the body of fact and theory traditionally recognized as the subject matter of sociology, but also with that portion of psychological science that treats the individual within the social system, and that portion of anthropological science that is particularly relevant to the social and cultural patterns of literate societies.
Social Relations sponsored or collaborated in a number of research studies characterized by explicit cross-cultural comparisons and multidisciplinary approaches to problems of policy or social theory. Major projects included the Six Cultures Study (headed by John and Beatrice Whiting, an anthropological study of child development in six different cultures, including a New England Baptist community; a Philippine barrio; an Okinawan village; an Indian village in Mexico; a northern Indian caste group; and a rural tribal group in Kenya); a multidisciplinary analysis of Soviet culture and society, published in part as How the Soviet System Works; and the Comparative Study of Values in Five Cultures during the 1950s, which examined five very different communities living in the same region of Texas: Zuni, Navajo
Navajo people
The Navajo of the Southwestern United States are the largest single federally recognized tribe of the United States of America. The Navajo Nation has 300,048 enrolled tribal members. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the...
, Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
(LDS), Spanish-American (Mexican-American), and Texas Homesteaders.
The program disaggregated into its component departments around 1972, though a certain interdisciplinarity remained throughout the 1970s. Today, the name remains in the Social Relations Library at Harvard.
A similar program at Yale, the Institute for Human Relations, also now disbanded, developed the Human Relations Area Files, a cross-cultural database for comparative research, administered by Carol and Melvin Ember.
Scholars Associated with Social Relations at Harvard
- Talcott ParsonsTalcott ParsonsTalcott Parsons was an American sociologist who served on the faculty of Harvard University from 1927 to 1973....
, (1902–1979) sociologist - Gordon AllportGordon AllportGordon Willard Allport was an American psychologist. Allport was one of the first psychologists to focus on the study of the personality, and is often referred to as one of the founding figures of personality psychology...
, (1897–1967) psychologist - Jerome BrunerJerome BrunerJerome Seymour Bruner is an American psychologist who has contributed to cognitive psychology and cognitive learning theory in educational psychology, as well as to history and to the general philosophy of education. Bruner is currently a senior research fellow at the New York University School...
, psychologist - Roger BrownRoger Brown (psychologist)Roger William Brown , an American social psychologist, was born in Detroit.-Early Life and Education:...
, social psychologist - Alex Inkeles, sociologist
- Clyde KluckhohnClyde KluckhohnClyde Kluckhohn , was an American anthropologist and social theorist, best known for his long-term ethnographic work among the Navajo and his contributions to the development of theory of culture within American anthropology.-Early life and education:...
, (1905–1960) anthropologist - Florence Rockwood Kluckhohn, anthropologist
- John Whiting (anthropologist)John Whiting (anthropologist)Jonh Wesley Mayhew Whiting was an American sociologist and anthropologist, specializing in child development....
, anthropologist - Beatrice Blyth Whiting, anthropologist
- Evon Z. VogtEvon Z. VogtEvon Zartman Vogt, Jr. was an American cultural anthropologist. Born in Gallup, New Mexico, he was a professor at Harvard University his entire career, serving as Chairman of the Department of Anthropology, Co-Master of Kirkland House , and Chairman of the Center for Latin American Studies...
, anthropologist - Eleanor MaccobyEleanor MaccobyEleanor Emmons Maccoby is a psychologist best known for her contributions to developmental psychology and the psychology of sex differences. She worked with B.F. Skinner and obtained her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan...
, developmental psychologist
Notable Graduates of Social Relations at Harvard
- Robert N. BellahRobert N. BellahRobert Neelly Bellah is an American sociologist, now the Elliott Professor of Sociology, Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley. Bellah is best known for his work related to "American civil religion"...
, sociologist, American civil society - Bertram J. Cohler, psychoanalyst and cultural psychologist
- Roy G. D'AndradeRoy D'AndradeRoy Goodwin D'Andrade is one of the founders of the theory of cognitive anthropology.Born in New Jersey, D'Andrade matriculated at Rutgers University but left to fulfill his military service. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Connecticut. He then studied in the Department...
, cognitive anthropologist - Carol Ember, cultural anthropologist
- Harold GarfinkelHarold GarfinkelHarold Garfinkel was a Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is known for establishing and developing ethnomethodology as a field of inquiry in sociology.-Biography:...
, ( -1952) sociologist - Clifford GeertzClifford GeertzClifford James Geertz was an American anthropologist who is remembered mostly for his strong support for and influence on the practice of symbolic anthropology, and who was considered "for three decades...the single most influential cultural anthropologist in the United States." He served until...
, (1926–2006) cultural anthropologist - Mark Granovettor, sociologist
- Edward O. Laumann, sociologist and sexologist
- Jean Lipman-BlumenJean Lipman-BlumenDr. Jean Lipman-Blumen is the Thornton F. Bradhshaw Professor of Public Policy and Professor of Organizational Behavior at Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California. She is an expert on leadership, achieving styles, crisis management, "hot groups," organizational behavior, and gender...
, sociologist and leadership scholar - Dan P. McAdams, social and personality psychologist
- Stanley MilgramStanley MilgramStanley Milgram was an American social psychologist most notable for his controversial study known as the Milgram Experiment. The study was conducted in the 1960s during Milgram's professorship at Yale...
, (1933-1984) social psychologist - Michelle Zimbalist RosaldoMichelle RosaldoMichelle Zimbalist Rosaldo , known to her friends and colleagues as Shelly, was a social, linguistic, and psychological anthropologist famous for her studies of the Ilongot tribe in the Philippines and for her pioneering role in women's studies and the anthropology of gender.-Life:Born in New York...
, (1944–1981) feminist theorist and psychological anthropologist - Renato Rosaldo, cultural anthropologist
- Richard A. ShwederRichard ShwederRichard A. Shweder, is an American cultural anthropologist and a significant figure in cultural psychology. He received his B.A. in anthropology from the University of Pittsburgh in 1966 and his Ph.D. in Social Anthropology from Harvard University's Department of Social Relations in 1972. He taught...
, psychological anthropologist and cultural psychologist - Fred L. Strodtbeck, (1919–2005) social psychologist
- Abby Stewart, personality and feminist psychologist
- Marc J. Swartz, cultural anthropologist
- Janellen Huttenlocher, developmental and cognitive psychologist
- Jean Mandler, cognitive psychologist
- Leon KaminLeon KaminLeon J. Kamin is an American psychologist who chaired Princeton University's Department of Psychology in 1968....
, experimental psychologist - Barbara RogoffBarbara RogoffBarbara Rogoff is an educator whose interests lie in understanding and communicating the different learning thrusts between cultures, especially within her book The Cultural Nature of Human Development...
, developmental and cultural psychologist - Charles TillyCharles TillyCharles Tilly was an American sociologist, political scientist, and historian who wrote on the relationship between politics and society. He was the Joseph L. Buttenwieser Professor of Social Science at Columbia University....
, (1929–2008), sociologist, historian, political scientists
Interlocutors
- Irvin L. Child, (1915–2000) psychologist (Yale)
- Melvin Ember, cultural anthropologist (Yale)
- Edward ShilsEdward ShilsEdward Shils was a Distinguished Service Professor in the Committee on Social Thought and in Sociology at the University of Chicago and reputedly an influential sociologist. He was known for his research on the role of intellectuals and their relations to power and public policy...
, (1911–1995) sociologist (University of Chicago)
Selected publications
- Bauer, Raymond A., Alex Inkeles, and Clyde Kluckhohn. 1956. How the Soviet System Works: cultural, psychological, and social themes. New York: Vintage.
- Inkeles, Alex; with D.J. Levinson; Helen Beier; Eugenia Hanfman; Larry Diamond. 1997. National Character: a psycho-social perspective. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers.
- Kluckhohn, Florence Rockwood and Fred L. Strodtbeck. 1961. Variations in value orientations. Evanston, IL: Row, Peterson.
- Munroe, Ruth H., Robert L. Munroe, Beatrice B. Whiting, eds. 1981. Handbook of cross-cultural human development. New York: Garland.
- Parsons, Talcott. 1949. The Structure of Social Action. Glencoe, IL: The Free Press.
- Parsons, Talcott and Edward Shils. 1951. Toward a General Theory of Action. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
- Vogt, Evon Zartman and Ethel M. Albert Vogt. 1966. People of Rimrock; a study of values in five cultures. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
- Whiting, Beatrice and John Whiting. 1975. Children of Six Cultures: a psychocultural analysis. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.