This is the first volume of an annual publication that deals with the sociology of the sciences. The aim of the yearbook is to consider sociology from a very broad perspective and to develop a comparative, cross disciplinary understanding of the sciences. It does this by publishing papers from a number of perspectives and approaches on a specific topic. The basic standpoint of the yearbook views the sciences as a plurality of socially constructed ways of comprehending natural and social phenomena. It is intended for an audience that includes sociologists and all those interested in sociology of science, sociology of knowledge, theoretical sociology, philosophy and history of science, science policy, as well as post graduate students in those fields. The publication has three major parts: Part I deals with The Institutionalisation of the Sciences: Changing Concepts and Approaches in the History and Sociology of Science; Part II is on Social Relations of Cognitive Structures in the Sciences; and Part III discusses Social Goals, Political Programmes and Scientific Norms. (GA)