Commemorating the 90th anniversary of the first South African public social research organization, the National Bureau for Education and Social Research, and the 50th anniversary of its successor, the Human Sciences Research Council, this collection is a scholarly reflection on the history of state-based social research. The contributors delve into the rich archives of the institution in all its iterations, and perhaps most interestingly, examine its relationship with the dominant political structures of the day, from the pre-apartheid segregationist government, to the apartheid order and ultimately the post-apartheid government. The book also addresses the topical issue of the role of evidence and scientific knowledge in policymaking.