By this symposium the section wants to honour and to acknowledge Robert Bellah's contribution in the study of the humanities and social sciences in general and in the study of religion in particular. Since many of us have been very inspired by the work of the late Bellah, a group among us has found it obvious to host a symposium on Bellah’s significance for a reconceptualization of the study of religion.

Simultaneously, the symposium will also be an occasion to express our gratitude to Alexandra Maryanski and Jonathan Turner for their stay here as guest professors. They will return to Santa Barbara a few days after the symposium. Therefore, we shall finish the symposium with some wine and snacks.

Programme

15:00-15:10 Welcome and Introduction to the Symposium by Chair of Research Anders Klostergaard Petersen

15:10-15:35 Professor Hans Jørgen Lundager Jensen: Bellah's View on the Hebrew Bible's Version of Axiality: a Constructive Criticism.

15:35-15:55 Discussion of the Paper

15:55-16:20 Professor Alexandra Maryanski: The Threshold of Religion: Some Evolutionary Clues.

16:20-16:40: Discussion of the Paper

16:40-16:50 Short break

16:50-17:15 Professor Armin W. Geertz: Religion and Evolution in the Human and Social Sciences.

17:15-17:35 Discussion of the Paper

17:35-18:00 Professor Jonathan Turner: The Neurology and Sociology of Religion: Its Origins and Development.

18:00-18:20 Discussion of the Paper

18:20-18:45 Professor Anders Klostergaard Petersen: Turning History of Religion into a Truly Historical Discipline: What I Learned from Robert Bellah.

18:45-19:00 Discussion of the Paper

19:00-19:50 Wine and Snacks