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About Catherine M. Bell


Catherine Bell (1953-2008) was a religious studies professor at Santa Clara University and an expert on ritual and Chinese religions. She completed a B.A. at Manhattanville College in 1975 and earned her M.A. (1976) and Ph.D (1983) in History of Religion from the University of Chicago Divinity School. She taught in Japan and completed post-doctoral work in Taiwan before joining the religious studies department at Santa Clara University in 1985. Bell was named the Bernard Hanley Professor of Religious Studies in 1998 and served as the chair of the department from 2000 until 2005. She retired from teaching in 2007 due to complications from multiple sclerosis. She passed away on May 23, 2008.

Bell contributed to the fields of critical theory, history of Chinese religions, liturgical theology, ritual studies, and Scripture. Her published works include Ritual Theory, Ritual Practice (1992) and Ritual: Perspectives and Dimensions (1997). She served as editor and contributor to Teaching Ritual (2007). An accomplished scholar and teacher, Bell was the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including the American Academy of Religion Book Award in the History of Religions, the Brutocao Award for Excellence in Curriculum Innovation, and the Godfrey Diekmann Award. In 2005, she was named Alumna of the Year by the University of Chicago Divinity School. Bell received fellowships and grants from the Mellon Foundation, the American Council of Learned Societies, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. In 2007, Bell received a NEH fellowship to pursue the study of belief. The resulting manuscript, Believing and the Practice of Religion, was left unfinished at the time of her death.

Positions

2007 - 2008 Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies, Santa Clara University ‐ Department of Religious Studies
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1998 - 2007 Professor, Santa Clara University ‐ Department of Religious Studies
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2000 - 2005 Chair, Santa Clara University ‐ Department of Religious Studies
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1991 - 1998 Associate Professor, Santa Clara University ‐ Department of Religious Studies
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1985 - 1991 Assistant Professor, Santa Clara University ‐ Department of Religious Studies
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Disciplines

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Honors and Awards

  • 2007 National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship
  • 2005 University of Chicago Divinity School Alumna of the Year
  • 2005 North America Academy of Liturgy's Godfrey Diekmann Award
  • 2001 President’s Award, Santa Clara University
  • 1998 Bernard J. Hanley Endowed Professorship, Santa Clara University
  • 1998 College of Arts and Sciences Beyma Research Award, Santa Clara University
  • 1997 American Academy of Religion Research Grant (for research in Beijing)
  • 1996 Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation Travel Grant
  • 1996 Brutocao Award for Excellence in Curriculum Innovation, Santa Clara University
  • 1994 American Academy of Religion Book Award in History of Religions
  • 1988 National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship
  • 1988 Fellow, Center for Chinese Studies, University of California, Berkeley
  • 1988 Honorary Fellow, Chinese Popular Culture Project, University of California
  • 1983 American Council of Learned Societies Post-Doctoral Mellon Fellowship, Inter-University Program, Taiwan National University
  • 1981 Mellon Dissertation Writing Fellowship, Department of Far Eastern Languages and Civilizations, University of Chicago
  • 1980 Junior Fellow, Institute for the Advanced Study of Religion, University of Chicago

Education

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1983 Ph.D. in Divinity School, History of Religions, University of Chicago
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1976 M.A. in Divinity School, University of Chicago
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1975 B.A. in Philosophy, Religion, Manhattanville College
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Research Works (27)