Subseries II.1: Alphabetical, 1930-2003

Scope and content:

Correspondence in this subseries documents Merton's professional affiliations, scholarly activities, and professional pursuits. The letters depict the establishment of Merton's academic and professional ties, many spanning the entire length of his career, as well as the formation of numerous long-standing collaborative exchanges. Correspondents include noted sociologists, such as Kingsley Davis, Talcott Parsons, Pitirim Sorokin, Peter Blau, William J. Goode, Alvin Gouldner, and Cynthia Fuchs Epstein, publishers, such as Alfred Knopf and Howard Fertig, and authors, including Umberto Eco and Granville Hicks. The discourse frequently depicts Merton's original ideas and concepts taking shape, resulting in further exploration through projects and writings. For example, material in the folder titled 'Focussed Group Interview Origins' identifies the inception of the focussed group interview technique through correspondence between Merton, Paul F. Lazarsfeld, and Carl Hovland of the War Department of the Pentagon. Of interest are letters in the folder titled 'Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka' which detail NAACP members Alfred McClung Lee and Kenneth Clark's interest in establishing a social science consultants committee to further assist in desegregating schools in the 1950s.

Copies of correspondence with C. Wright Mills are housed in the Lo?c Wacquant folder (originals are not included in collection). In keeping with the original order of the materials, all correspondence with Paul F. Lazarsfeld can be found in Series IV.4, under the Paul F. Lazarsfeld Center section. Correspondence related to individuals may appear in folders bearing their name, even if the letters are not to or from them (explaining why many folder dates outlast the life of the individual). This subseries is arranged alphabetically by personal name, corporate name, or subject.

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