Robert Anthony Orsi (born 1953) is
scholar of American history
and Catholic studies who is the Grace Craddock Nagle Chair professor at Northwestern University. Before coming to Northwestern, Orsi chaired the department of religious studies at Harvard University.

Life

Orsi was born and raised in the Bronx borough of New York City. He majored in religion and sociology at Trinity College (CT) and graduated

salutatorian Salutatorian is an academic title given in the United States, Armenia, and the Philippines to the second-highest-ranked graduate of the entire graduating class of a specific discipline. Only the valedictorian is ranked higher. This honor is tradi ...

in 1975, receiving both a Danforth and Watson Scholarship. He attended graduate school in religion at Yale University where his prize-winning dissertation formed the basis of his first book, ''The Madonna of 115th Street''. He taught at Fordham University at Lincoln Center from 1981 to 1988, at

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universi ...

from 1988 to 2001, and

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 high ...

Harvard Divinity School Harvard Divinity School (HDS) is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school's mission is to educate its students either in the academic study of religion or for leadership roles in religion, gov ...

from 2001 to 2007. He currently teaches at

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

. He is the editor of ''The Cambridge Companion to Religious Studies'' (2011) and the author of ''History and Presence'' (2016). He is also Grace Craddock Nagle Chair of Catholic Studies and Professor of Religious Studies, History, and American Studies and Faculty Fellow (2020-2021) at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic university, Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend, Indiana, South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin fo ...

Awards

* 2000 Guggenheim Fellowship * 1999

National Endowment for the Humanities The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...

Fellowship *

Fulbright Fellowship The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

* John Gilmary Shea Prize from the American Catholic Historical Association, for ''The Madonna of 115th Street'' * Jesuit National Book Award, for ''The Madonna of 115th Street'' *

Merle Curti Award The Merle Curti Award is awarded annually by the Organization of American Historians for the best book in American social and/or American intellectual history. It is named in honor of Merle Curti Merle Eugene Curti (September 15, 1897 – March ...

in American Social History from the Organization of American Historians, for ''Thank You, Saint Jude'' * Award for Excellence in the Study of Religion from the American Academy of Religion, for ''Between Heaven and Earth''

Works

"When 2+2=5", ''The American Scholar'', Spring 2007
*
History and Presence.
' The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. 2016. . * * (1st edition 1985; 2nd edition 2002), *

Edited

* *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Orsi, Robert A. American historians of religion Northwestern University faculty Living people Presidents of the American Academy of Religion 1953 births University of Notre Dame faculty