The Research Files series, ca. 1950-1975 (5.5 linear feet), includes research materials related to Beardsley's anthropological work in Japan, Spain, Korea, and in California. Beardsley's Japanese studies are best represented in the series, which includes materials from research visits in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s (though much of it is undated). Of particular note are the materials related to Niiike, the community about which Beardsley's seminal book Village Japan was written. The series includes research and field notes from the original study in the early 1950s, a small amount of correspondence related to the writing of Village Japan, and research materials compiled during Beardsley's follow-up visits in the 1970s. The series also includes a number of surveys and questionnaires Beardsley administered to people in various communities in Japan, including Tsushima and Kurashiki; please note that while most of the research notes are in English, many of the questionnaires and surveys are in Japanese.
The series contains a small amount of material related to studies Beardsley conducted in Valencia, Spain with funding from the Guggenheim Foundation from 1958 to 1959. These studies were intended primarily to serve as sources of comparison for his Japanese research. The documentation includes planning correspondence and field notes. The series also includes one notebook of research on Korea from 1954.
