History

The First 75 Years (1905-1980)

In 1981, in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Association, Lawrence J. Rhoades prepared a history entitled A History of the American Sociological Association, 1905-1980. This 90-page publication provided a brief overview of the founding and early years of the Association, as well as highlights of key activities and events in the intervening decades.

• 1981 Rhoades History:  Foreward through Chapter 3 (PDF)
• 1981 Rhoades History:  Chapter 4 through 6 (PDF)
• 1981 Rhoades History:  Chapter 7 through 8 (PDF)
• 1981 Rhoades History:  Chapter 9 (PDF)
• 1981 Rhoades History:  Appendices and Index (PDF)

The Next 25 Years (1981-2004)

In 2005, in celebration of the Centennial of the founding of the Association, ASA published A History of the American Sociological Association, 1981-2004.  This 201-page book picks up where the 1981 Rhoades history left off and continues the story to through 2004. This volume is the culmination of more than two years of detailed research by Katherine J. Rosich.

This volume captures highlights in the history of the American Sociological Association (ASA) from 1981 to 2004. The objective of this work is to describe and report on the major events in the life of ASA during the last two decades of the 20th century - leading up to a new century and millennium, and also to ASA's commemoration of its 100th anniversary in 2005. 

• Introduction [PDF]
• Acknowledgments [PDF]
• Abbreviations [PDF]
• Chapter 1 - The 1980s: Critical Challenges and New Resolve [PDF]
• Chapter 2 - The 1991–2002 Period: Transformations and Innovations [PDF]
• Chapter 3 - Moving Forward at Century's End: ASA at 2002-2004  [PDF]
• Epilogue: The American Sociological Association at its Centenary [PDF]
• Appendices [PDF]

ASA Archives

ASA Archives are housed at Penn State. To access to the archives please contact:
 
Special Collections Library
The Pennsylvania State University
104 Paterno Library
University Park, PA 16802-1808
 
To access the 500+ page Finding Aid for ASA's papers within Penn State University's archive, visit http://www.libraries.psu.edu/findingaids/3058.htm.