Robert N. Bellah

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Robert N. Bellah

Robert Neelly Bellah (born February 23, 1927 in Altus , Oklahoma , † July 30, 2013 ) was an American sociologist .

Life

Alongside Clifford Geertz, Robert N. Bellah was one of the prominent students of the American sociologist Talcott Parsons . Bellah sparked a great discussion among sociologists, religious scholars, political scientists and theologians about the importance of religion in the cohesion of modern societies with his article "Civil Religion in America" ​​in 1967. He brought with the keyword of "Civil Religion" ( civil religion ) into the public debate. Later, Bellah used the term “public philosophy” rather than “civil religion” for this problem area, which resulted in too many misunderstandings. Bellah's thesis still arouses worldwide discussion today. Bellah's central statement lies in the normative shaping of society through a religious, but interreligious, identity-creating conviction. For the USA, he defines the connection between God and the chosenness of the USA as the core points of this conviction shared by almost all citizens. It is strengthened by common symbols and rites. The development in the USA in particular is the result of the need there to create an identity for all citizens while avoiding religious conflicts at the same time.

It was discussed whether the concept of civil religion should also be applied to Germany. The applicability, however, remained controversial and has not yet been decided. Important arguments in this discussion came from Niklas Luhmann and Hermann Lübbe .

Bellah taught sociology at the University of California at Berkeley for 30 years . He died in late July 2013 at the age of 86 due to complications after heart surgery.

Memberships

In 1967 Bellah was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences . Since 1996 he was a member of the American Philosophical Society .

Fonts (selection)

  • Robert N. Bellah: Civil Religion in America. In: Daedalus. Journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences , 96 (1967), Boston, Massachusetts, pp. 1-21.
  • Reprint in: Donald G. Jones, Russell E. Richey (Ed.): American Civil Religion. Hagerstown / San Francisco / London 1974, pp. 21–44.
  • German: Robert N. Bellah: Civil Religion in America. In: Heinz Kleger, Alois Müller (ed.): Religion of the citizen. Civil religion in America and Europe (Religion - Knowledge - Culture, 3). Munich 1986, pp. 19–41, most recently Lit Verlag, Münster 2004, ISBN 978-3-8258-8156-6 .
  • French: Robert N. Bellah: La religion civile en Amérique. In: Archives de Sciences Sociales des Religions 35 (1973), pp. 7-22.
  • Robert N. Bellah: Religion in Human Evolution. From the Paleolithic to the Axial Age. Cambridge Mass. 2011.
  • Robert N. Bellah: The Axial Age and Its Consequences. Harvard University Press, 2012 together with Hans Joas

literature

  • Jean-Paul Willaime : Civil religion based on the French model. In: Heinz Kleger, Alois Müller (ed.): Religion of the citizen. Civil religion in America and Europe (Religion - Knowledge - Culture, 3). Munich 1986, pp. 147-174.
  • Heinz Kleger, Alois Müller (Hrsg.): Religion of the citizen. Civil religion in America and Europe. Munich 1986.
  • Rolf Schieder : Civil Religion in America. In: ders .: How much religion can Germany tolerate? Suhrkamp, ​​Frankfurt 2001, pp. 95-118.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ obituary of Robert Bellah Neelly
  2. ↑ Official website
  3. ^ American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Book of Members ( PDF ). Retrieved April 2, 2016
  4. ^ Member History: Robert Bellah. American Philosophical Society, accessed April 28, 2018 (with a short biography).
personal data
SURNAME Bellah, Robert N.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Bellah, Robert Neelly
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American sociologist
DATE OF BIRTH February 23, 1927
PLACE OF BIRTH Altus , Oklahoma
DATE OF DEATH July 30, 2013