In 1987 the PCTS Fall meeting topic was, “Religion and Theology in the Works of Robert Bellah.” Four young scholars presented on aspects of Bellah’s work at the time:
- John Coleman, “Robert Bellah as Theologian,” Jesuit School of Theology, Berkeley
- Clare Fischer, “Bellah’s Approach to Narrative: A Feminist Perspective,” Star King School of Theology
- Tony Battaglia, “Religion is True: Bellah’s naturalistic Religion in a Christian Perspective,” California State University, Long Beach
- Jim Smith, “Convictional Pluralism and the Aristotelian Project,” California State University Fresno
Much has happened since 1987 both in Bellah’s own writings and those about him, especially since his death in 2013. Though his national best seller, Habits of the Heart, co-authored with Richard Madsen, William Sullivan, Ann Swidler and Steven Tipton had been published in 1985, key works had yet to be published. Still to be published were, The Good Society (1992) The Bellah Reader (2006), his magnum opus, Religion in Human Evolution (2011) and the edited volume with Hans Joas, The Axial Age and Its Consequences (2012).
In addition, a biography of Bellah, A Joyfully Serious Man (2021) by Matteo Bortolini and just this year, an edited volume, Challenging Modernity (2024) by Bellah’s co-authors have been published. Challenging Modernity includes three previously unpublished papers by Bellah that began to lay out ideas that would have become a sequel to Religion in Human Evolution and eight chapters written by a group of scholars building on and extending Bellah’s “human project.”
A goal of the fall session is to understand the evolution of Bellah’s thinking with an eye to appreciate his grounding in fundamental moral questions and his approach to religion as a living practice.
It is also a goal of this meeting to hear from a new generation of Bellah scholars who have been motivated by his work or who may need to be introduced to the more recent scholarship that continues to explore his significance today.
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Presiding:
Harlan Stelmach, Emeritus Professor, Humanities, Dominican University of California
Stelmach is also the author of numerous articles exploring the implications of Bellah’s work such as: “Toward a Constructive ‘Religious Realism’: Robert Bellah and Reinhold Niebuhr” and “Civil Religion in the Interfaith Context of Northern California: Revisiting Robert Bellah’s Broken Covenant Project.”
Presenting:
Russell M. Jeung, Professor of Asian American Studies, San Francisco State University
His remarks will focus on various themes addressed in the recent book Challenging Modernity edited by Richard Madsen, Ann Swidler, William Sullivan and Steven Tipton which includes three unpublished papers by Bellah.
Dr. Jeung received a BA in Human Biology and a MA in Education from Stanford University. After working in China and in the Mayor’s Office of San Francisco, he obtained his PhD in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley in 2000. After teaching at Foothill College for two years, he came to San Francisco State University’s Asian American Studies Department in 2002.
Angela Lintz Small, Doctoral Student in Buddhist Studies, The Graduate Theological Union
Her paper draws on feminist engagements with Bellah's work, including Claire Fischer's notion of women's public voice, power, and silences and Korie Little Edwards' intersectional approach to race, class, and gender bias in Bellah's work.
Dr. Lintz Small, has a PhD in sociology from UC San Diego, focusing on African American independent schools. She is a proud descendant of African American enslaved peoples and middle-European peasants. Lintz Small had previous careers in grant fundraising and educational youth development. She currently serves as the student representative on the GTU Board of Trustees.
Responding:
Galen Watts, Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Legal Studies, University of Waterloo.
Dr. Watts is the author of The Spiritual Turn: The Religion of the Heart and the Making of Romantic Liberal Modernity (Oxford University Press, 2022). He received his PhD from Queens University, Canada. His research focuses on cultural and institutional change in liberal democracies since the 1960s, with a focus on the spheres of religion, morality, work and politics. He is a member of a group of Robert Bellah scholars working on the creation of a Bellah Lectureship at the GTU. Listen to the podcast: “Galen Watts on Robert Bellah & the Spiritual Turn.”