The Swedish Basic Skills in a Long Term Perspective research project, which is described in this paper, was prompted by the belief that only a long-term perspective could reveal significant changes in schools and society at large. The general purpose of the described project is to endeavor, in historical and societal terms, to elucidate and appreciate the status and transformation of basic skills instruction in Sweden over a 50-year period (1930-1980). Various sections of the paper discuss the project's (1) theoretical frame of reference, (2) content and form, and (3) educational sociology components. A concluding section discusses the progress of the project to date. (FL)