MenuInventory of the Martin Bronfenbrenner Papers, 1939-1995 and undated
Abstract
Economist on the faculty at Duke University.
The professional papers of Martin Bronfenbrenner span the years 1939 to 1995 and consist of correspondence, research files, memoranda, writings (published and unpublished), teaching materials, reprints, clippings, and other papers, relating chiefly to Bronfenbrenner’s research and associations in the field of economics. Topics in his research files, which make up the bulk of the collection, include income distribution theory, economic development, Marxian and radical economics (including New Left economics), labor economics, monetary economics, international economics, trade, Japanese economy and Japanese history. The collection is organized into the following series: Personal Files, Printed Material, Research and Writing Files, and Teaching Material.
Descriptive Summary
- Repository
- David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University
- Creator
- Bronfenbrenner, Martin, 1914-1997.
- Title
- Martin Bronfenbrenner Papers, 1939-1995 and undated
- Language of Material
- English
- Extent
- 16.2 Linear Feet, Approximately 12,000 Items
- Location
- For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Collection Overview
The professional papers of Martin Bronfenbrenner span the years 1939 to 1995 and consist of correspondence, research files, memoranda, writings (published and unpublished), teaching materials, reprints, clippings, and other papers, relating chiefly to Bronfenbrenner’s research and associations in the field of economics. The collection is organized into the following series: Personal Files, Published Material, Research and Writing Files, and Teaching Material. The Personal Papers Series includes an unpublished autobiography which is restricted to research access, a family history, and records of Bronfenbrenner's own U.S. loyalty hearings from 1954-1955. Files in the Teaching Material Series chiefly contain syllabi, course notes, and exams dating from Bronfenbrenner's time at Carnegie, Duke, and in Japan, while the Printed Material files mainly house reprints of many of his articles. The Research Files Series, divided into topical subseries, makes up the bulk of the collection, including Bronfenbrenner's research notes, articles, reprints, correspondence, lectures, and drafts of Bronfenbrenner's writings; the materials offer a rich source of unique research material on topics of interest to Bronfenbrenner such as income distribution theory, economic development, Marxian and radical economics (including New Left economics), labor economics, monetary economics, international economics, trade, Japanese economy and Japanese history. The Research Files also contains a subseries of research folders linked to individual economists in whose work Bronfenbrenner had an interest, or with whom he corresponded, or both; names include Adelman, Baumol, Friedman, Leijonhufvud, Minsky, Samuelson, Spengler, Solow, and Viner, with two folders of material on Kei Shibata, who wrote on Marxian economics and economic equilibrium during the 1930s.
Administrative Information
Collections are on the move for the renovation of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Contact Rubenstein Library staff before visiting. Read More »
Access Restrictions
Collection is open for research, with one exception: Bronfenbrenner's unpublished autobiography requires permission for research access until 2013. It has been filed in the Collection Control File.
Also, collection may contain materials to which the Acknowledgment of Legal Responsibilities and Privacy Rights form applies, particularly letters of reference and peer reviews. Patrons must sign this form before using this collection.
All or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. Consequently, there may be a 24-hour delay in obtaining these materials.
Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use this collection.
Use Restrictions
The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
Contents of the Collection
Browse List of Series
Collapse All
Expand AllContains files maintained by Bronfenbrenner which include his unpublished dissertation, curriculum vitae, family correspondence, personal office files, and a family history and family tree from 1977. There are two folders dedicated to Bronfenbrenner's loyalty hearings in 1954 to 1955 when Bronfenbrenner's commitment to the United States was publicly questioned as was his interest in Marxian economics. There is one folder of short humorous poems written by Bronfenbrenner throughout his career, often using the pseudonym "The Beardless Beatnik." Bronfenbrenner's unpublished autobiography is also included in this series but is restricted and is currently located in the collection control file; researchers must have permission to access.
Printed Material Series, 1939-1995
Chiefly contains offprints of journal articles and journal issues containing articles by Brofenbrenner. Additionally, there are individual copies of Bronfenbrenner's collection of short stories Tomioko Stories, recalling Bronfenbrenner's time in Japan when it was under American occupation, as well as Is the Business Cycle Obsolete?, edited by Bronfenbrenner. The contents of the boxes are arranged in date order.
Research Files Series, 1939-1995
Representing the main component of the Bronfenbrenner Papers, the series is subdivided into the following subseries: Development, Heterodox Topics, Income Distribution, Orthodox Topics, People, and Japan.
Development Subseries, 1954-1990
Folders house materials relating to one of Bronfenbrenner's ongoing interests, economic development, focused mainly on developing Asian countries or regions. The files contains notes, speeches, draft and published papers written by Bronfenbrenner, papers written by other authors relevant to Bronfenbrenner's research, relevant correspondence, newspaper articles, and other miscellaneous documents. Arranged alphabetically by original folder title.
Bronfenbrenner conducted research, wrote papers and corresponded on topics which fell outside the range of traditional economic subject areas. In particular, Bronfenbrenner had a career-long interest in the work of Marx, Marxian economics, and radical political economy. While always critical of these approaches to economics, he was a strong proponent of academic freedom and respected Marxist approaches to economic analysis. Other topics include anti-Semitism, Reagonomics, black economics, futurology, and social responsibility. The folders contain notes, speeches, draft and published papers written by Bronfenbrenner, papers written by other authors relevant to Bronfenbrenner's research, correspondence, newspaper articles, and other miscellaneous papers. Ordered alphabetically by original folder title.
[Item removed to Oversize material series.]
[Item removed to Oversize material series.]
[Item removed to Oversize material series.]
Bronfenbrenner's interest and research in income distribution spanned his entire professional career. Folders contain notes, speeches, drafts and publications written by Bronfenbrenner, papers written by others, correspondence, clippings, and other miscellaneous documents. Arranged alphabetically by original folder title.
After the Second World War, Bronfenbrenner played an important consultative role in economic relations between the U.S. and Japan. His work and research on the Japanese economy during this period and in subsequent years cover almost all relevant economic issues, with emphasis on development economics, banking, and trade. The series also houses a published collection of short stories regarding his experience in Japan. Formats include research notes, speeches, writings by Bronfenbrenner, papers written by other authors relevant to his research, correspondence, newspaper articles, and other items. The folders are ordered alphabetically by original title.
Topics covered include macroeconomics, especially in U.S. monetary economics, international trade and economic growth theory. Formats include notes, speeches, drafts and other writings, papers written by other economicsts on topics relevant to Bronfenbrenner's research, correspondence relevant to the subject, clippings and articles, and other miscellaneous documents. Arranged alphabetically by original folder title.
People Subseries, 1949-1993 and undated
Following Bronfenbrenner's own filing system, this research-related subseries contains folders labelled with individuals' names, most of them notable economists, in whose research Bronfenbrenner was interested or with whom he corresponded, or both. There are also two "Miscellaneous" folders. The folders contain a mix of materials: correspondence between Bronfenbrenner and the economist named on the folder, annotated and unmarked articles, and papers by Bronfenbrenner or by others. There are two folders of materials concerning Kei Shibata, who during the 1930s wrote on Marxian economics and equilibrium balance. Arranged in alphabetical order by last name.
Teaching Material Series, 1949-1996
Consists chiefly of lecture notes, examination papers, and course syllabi covering subjects that Bronfenbrenner taught through classes and seminars at Carnegie-Mellon, Duke and in Japan, including microeconomics, macroeconomics, income distribution, international economics, trade, Japanese history and the Japanese economy. Box 27 is dedicated to correspondence between Bronfenbrenner and his graduate students.
Oversize Material, 1950-1969 and undated
Clippings, newspapers, and other items from the Research Series, Heterodox and Japan subseries. A group of six Japanese campus newspapers contain front-page articles in the English language on 1969 student unrest and violence on Japanese campuses.
Historical Note
Martin Bronfenbrenner was born in Pittsburgh in 1914 and died in 1997 in Durham, North Carolina, having just been made a Distinguished Fellow of the American Economics Association. He received his Ph.D. in 1939 from the Universtiy of Chicago and after a brief stint at the U.S. Treasury, enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He served in Japan during and after the war, and had a role in the rebuilding of Japan's economy and its relations with the U.S. Taking from his experiences in Japan, Bronfenbrenner published a volume of fictional short stories entitled Tomioka Stories from the Japanese Occupation. From 1947 on, Bronfenbrenner worked exclusively as a university professor. He served on the faculty of the University of Wisconsin (1947-1957), Michigan State University (1957-1958), the University of Minnesota (1958-1962), Carnegie Mellon (1962-1971), and Duke University where he held the Kenan Chair from 1971 until 1984. In 1984, he moved to Japan as a professor of international economics at the Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo, Japan, and in 1991 he returned to Duke University where he taught until his death in 1997. Throughout this period Bronfenbrenner's interests were very wide-ranging and included income distribution theory, labor economics, Marxian and radical economics, development, Japanese economics and history, comparative economic systems, monetary theory and the history of economics. Bronfenbrenner served as vice-president of the American Economic Association (1976-1977), president of the Southern Economic Association (1979-1980), and president of the History of Economics Society (1982-1983).
Subject Headings
- Adelman, Morris Albert.
- Baumol, William J.
- Bronfenbrenner, Martin, 1914-1997.
- Bronfenbrenner family.
- Chicago School of Economics.
- China--Economic conditions.
- Clippings.
- Demand for money.
- Economists--Correspondence.
- Economics--History--20th century.
- Economics--Study and teaching (Higher)--United States.
- Economists--United States.
- Friedman, Milton, 1912-2006.
- Income distribution.
- Inflation (Finance)
- International trade.
- International economic relations.
- Japan--Economic conditions.
- Japan--History.
- Labor economics.
- Leijonhufvud, Axel.
- Loyalty oaths--United States.
- Macroeconomics.
- Marxian economics.
- Minsky, Hyman P.
- Monetary policy.
- Samuelson, Paul A. (Paul Anthony), 1915-2009.
- Solow, Robert M.
- Spengler, Joseph John, 1902-
- Theory of distributions (Functional analysis).
- Unemployment--Effect of inflation on.
- United States--Economic conditions.
- United States--Foreign economic relations--Japan.
- United States--Politics and government--1953-1961.
- Viner, Jacob, 1892-1970.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Martin Bronfenbrenner Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Provenance
The Martin Bronfenbrenner Papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library as a gift in 1984, 1993, and 1997.
Processing Information
Processed by Danilo Da Silva, Chris Payne, June 2010
Encoded by Danilo Da Silva, Paula Jeannet Mangiafico, and Chris Payne, June 2010
The original accession from 1984 and additions 93-175, 97-071, and 97-134 were merged into one collection, described in this finding aid.
Descriptive sources and standards used to create this inventory: DACS, EAD, NCEAD guidelines, and local Style Guide.
This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.