Smithsonian Institution Archives

Records, 1948, 1954-1994

Summary

Collection ID:
SIA.FARU7334
Creators:
Animal Behavior Society
Dates:
1948, 1954-1994
Languages:
English
Physical Description:
39.5 cu. ft. (1 record storage box) (77 document boxes)
Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives

Introduction

Introduction
This finding aid was digitized with funds generously provided by the Smithsonian Institution Women's Committee.

Descriptive Entry

Descriptive Entry
These records include correspondence, documents, and committee records documenting the operations of the Society, its officers, and committees, as well as dealings with organizations in related scholarly disciplines and various learned societies. The collection also contains a photograph collection and some memorabilia of various officers and committees. A complete set of newsletters is included, as are spreadsheets and database compilations done by Society historians listing all the individuals who contributed much time and effort to the workings of the Society from 1956 to 1990.

Historical Note

Historical Note
The Animal Behavior Society was formally established as an independent organization during the 1964 annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Montreal, Canada, although its earliest records date from the work of predecessor organizations, beginning in 1948. The Society was an outgrowth of the Section of Animal Behavior and Sociobiology (established in 1956) of the Ecological Society of America (ESA), and the Division of Animal Behavior (established in 1958) of the American Society of Zoologists (ASZ). They in turn stemmed from the ad hoc Committee for the Study of Animal Societies Under Natural Conditions (CSASUNC) organized by John Paul Scott and colleagues (1947) following a postwar (1946) Bar Harbor conference on Genetics and Social Behavior, supported by a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation.
With the establishment of the Section of Animal Behavior and Sociobiology (SOABS) within the ESA, the eventual development into the Animal Behavior Society was virtually assured. The Section issued newsletters to its members on a regular basis, replacing occasional newsletters distributed by CSASUNC.
In 1958, the Division of Animal Behavior (DAB) was established within the ASZ. The ASZ Division and the ESA Section functioned as a single entity, with overlapping membership, a common set of by-laws, and a single slate of officers. The joint DAB/SOABS organization then joined forces, in 1958, with the British Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour to sponsor the journal, Animal Behaviour. David E. Davis was named American associate editor. Archives of the journal are not included in this collection; instead they are maintained at the University of Akron, Ohio.
By 1963-1964, it was clearly time to consider the establishment of a new and completely independent society. The final steps were taken at the winter (1964) AAAS meeting in Montreal, Canada; and the Animal Behavior Society was formally created.

Administration

Author
Finding aid prepared by Smithsonian Institution Archives

Using the Collection

Prefered Citation
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 7334, Animal Behavior Society, Records

More Information

Notes

Non-SI Records


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Scott, John Paul, 1909-2000 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Davis, David E. Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Animal Behavior Society Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
American Association for the Advancement of Science Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ecological Society of America Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
American Society of Zoologists Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Rockefeller Foundation Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
British Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Zoology Topic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ecology Topic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Professional associations Topic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Manuscripts Genre/Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Black-and-white photographs Genre/Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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