Catherine Bell
Catherine Bell is a scholar of religion and ritual studies, known for her exploration of the ways in which ritual activities are codified and constructed as seemingly recognizable social mediums which are interpretable in several ways. She has taught at the Religious Studies Department of Santa Clara University since 1985, where she is Bernard J. Hanley professor and chair. Bell earned her Bachelors degree in philosophy and religion while attending Manhattanville College in 1975, and then went on to acquire her Masters and Doctorate in the History of Religions from the Divinity School of the University of Chicago. Professor Bell had been an instructor at Seishin Joshi Gakuin in Tokoyo and the International University of Japan in Nigata before joining Santa Clara University. She was awarded the American Academy of Religion’s best first book in the History of Religions award for her volume, Ritual Theory, Ritual Practice, in 1994. In the same year, Bell earned the Brutocao Award for Excellence in Curriculum Innovation, Santa Clara’s most prestigious teaching award. In 2004, The University of Chicago's Divinity School named Catherine Bell Alumna of the Year. Her primary research areas include History of Religions methodology, ritual studies, Asian religions, and Chinese religions.
Major Works
Ritual Theory, Ritual Practice ( 1992)
Ritual: Perspectives and Dimensions (1997)
Quotation
"Whether it is defined in terms of features of enthusiasm (fostering groupism) or formalism (fostering the repetition of the traditional), ritual is consistently depicted as a mechanistically discrete and paradigmatic means of socio-cultural integration, appropriation, or transformation. Given the variety of theoretical objectives and methods, such consistency is surprising and interesting."
Select Web Resources on Bell
Faculty Page at Santa Clara University
University of Chicago Divinity School Alumna of the Year 2004
Excerpts from Ritual: Perspectives and Dimensions