Herbert Chanoch Kelman (March 18, 1927 – March 1, 2022) was an Austrian-born American psychologist who was the
Richard Clarke Cabot
Richard Clarke Cabot (May 21, 1868 – May 7, 1939) was an American physician who advanced clinical hematology, was an innovator in teaching methods, and was a pioneer in social work.
Early life and education
Richard Clarke Cabot was born May 21 ...
Professor of Social Ethics at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...
.
He is known for his work on conflict resolution in the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
.
Early life
Kelman was born in
Vienna
en, Viennese
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, Austria, the son of Antonia/Lea and Leo Kelman. His family fled the rise of
fascism
Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and t ...
and anti-Semitism, heading first to Belgium and then, in 1940, the United States.
Kelman married Rose Brousman in August, 1953.
He was educated at
Brooklyn College
, mottoeng = Nothing without great effort
, established =
, parent = CUNY
, type = Public university
, endowment = $98.0 million (2019)
, budget = $123.96 m ...
, where he majored in English and Psychology, and the Seminary College of Jewish Studies. He went on to receive his Master's degree and doctorate in
social psychology
Social psychology is the scientific study of how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the real or imagined presence of other people or by social norms. Social psychologists typically explain human behavior as a result of the ...
at
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...
in 1951.
Career
Kelman did post-doctoral work at
Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...
while also spending time teaching psychology at the Baltimore College of Commerce. After a stint at the
National Institute of Mental Health
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is one of 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH, in turn, is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and is the prima ...
, Kelman served as a Lecturer on Social Psychology at Harvard University (1957–1962). He was a professor of psychology at the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
(1962–1969) before returning to Harvard in 1968, where he remained for the rest of his career. Kelman also held countless fellowships and visiting positions.
In 1971, Kelman helped circulate a petition calling on faculty members at Harvard to
refuse to pay their federal telephone excise tax in protest against the U.S. war against Vietnam.
Inspired by the scholarship of
John Burton (diplomat)
John Wear Burton (2 March 1915 – 23 June 2010) was an Australian public servant, High Commissioner and academic.
Early life
Burton was born in Melbourne, the son of the Rev John Wear Burton, a Methodist Minister. Hardcopy 1979, Vol.7. Nb. ...
, Kelman organized tens of unofficial gatherings of Arabs and Israelis. In 1989, he facilitated an off-the-record meeting between members of the
P.L.O.
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO; ar, منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية, ') is a Palestinian nationalist political and militant organization founded in 1964 with the initial purpose of establishing Arab unity and sta ...
and
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
i politicians and academics
in an effort to bring the two sides closer on important issues.
On August 1, 2003, the Program on International Conflict Analysis and Resolution, under the leadership of Kelman, was closed.
The Vienna-based Herbert C. Kelman Institute for Interactive Conflict Transformation was renamed in his honor in December 2010.
Kelman was also on the advisory board of Faculty for Israeli-Palestinian Peace–USA (FFIPP–USA), a network of Palestinian, Israeli, and international faculty and students working to end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and for peace.
Kelman was president of a number of academic societies including the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (1964–1965), the Peace Science Society (1975–1976), the Interamerican Society of Psychology (1976–1979), the
International Studies Association
The International Studies Association (ISA) is a US-based professional association for scholars and practitioners in the field of international studies. Founded in 1959, ISA has been headquartered at the University of Connecticut in Storrs sin ...
(1978–1979), the International Society of Political Psychology (1985–1986), and the Psychologists for Social Responsibility (1990–1992).
Personal life
Kelman died in
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...
, on March 1, 2022, at the age of 94.
Awards
Kelman was the recipient of the 2000
James McKeen Cattell
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguat ...
Fellow Award from the
Association for Psychological Science
The Association for Psychological Science (APS), previously the American Psychological Society, is an international non-profit organization whose mission is to promote, protect, and advance the interests of scientifically oriented psychology in ...
in part for his service as "a model of the social responsibility of psychologists". Kelman is a recipient of the 1997
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one ...
Grawemeyer Award
The Grawemeyer Awards () are five awards given annually by the University of Louisville. The prizes are presented to individuals in the fields of education, ideas improving world order, music composition, religion, and psychology. The religion awa ...
for Ideas Improving World Order.
He was the winner of the 1956
AAAS Prize for Behavioral Science Research
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsi ...
.
See also
*
Social influence
Social influence comprises the ways in which individuals adjust their behavior to meet the demands of a social environment. It takes many forms and can be seen in conformity, socialization, peer pressure, obedience, leadership, persuasion, s ...
References
External links
Herbert C. Kelman's Web Site
1927 births
2022 deaths
American psychologists
American tax resisters
Brooklyn College alumni
Social psychologists
Yale University alumni
Harvard University faculty
University of Michigan faculty
Recipients of the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, 1st class
Austrian emigrants to the United States
People from Vienna
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