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The Center for Research on Social Organization was created in 1960 by the University of Michigan Department of Sociology as a way to centralize and encourage the research and training activities of faculty and graduate students in the area of social organization. The Center's main function is to support the research activities of faculty and students studying organizational arrangements that structure group life, including power relations, distribution of social resources, and historical transformations. The records of the Center reflect its commitment to facilitating faculty and student research on social organization, and includes annual reports, correspondence, committee events, and programs.

The records of the Center for Research on Social Organization (CRSO) document the history of the Center from its creation in 1960 through 2001. The records are divided into four series: Administrative, Committees, Events and Programs, and Photographs.

An interdisciplinary research program at the University of Michigan, Comparative Study of Social Transformations (CSST) studied theoretical categories and questions around social change within past and present societies. Records include a complete run of the working papers, a collection of flyers and presentation papers from CSST sponsored colloquiums and faculty seminars, posters, and two video cassettes. Included within the working papers are both the original grant proposal for the funding of the CSST and working paper #21, "Taking Stock: The First Year of CSST," February 1989.

The records for Comparative Study of Social Transformations (CSST) contain a complete run of CSST working papers, Speaker Series flyers and presentation papers, photographs, and three video cassettes from the Dean's Lecture Series. The materials are organized into three series: Speaker Series, Working Papers, AV Materials, and Minutes.