Herbert Chanoch Kelman (March 18, 1927 – March 1, 2022) was an Austrian-born American psychologist who was the Richard Clarke Cabot Professor of Social Ethics at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. He is known for his work on conflict resolution in the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

Early life

Kelman was born in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, Austria, the son of Antonia/Lea and Leo Kelman. His family fled the rise of

fascism Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hie ...

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 Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn in New York City, United States. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls nearly 14,000 students on a campus in the Midwood and Flatbush sections of Brooklyn as of fall ...

, 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 methodical study of how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others. Although studying many of the same substantive topics as its counterpart in the field ...

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

in 1951.

Career

Kelman did post-doctoral work at

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

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 primar ...

, Kelman served as a lecturer on Social Psychology at Harvard University (1957–1962). He was a professor of psychology at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

(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, 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. and

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

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 relations, international studies. Founded in 1959, ISA has been headquartered at the University of Con ...

(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. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

, on March 1, 2022, at the age of 94.

Awards

Kelman was the recipient of the 2000

James McKeen Cattell James McKeen Cattell (May 25, 1860 – January 20, 1944) was the first professor of psychology in the United States, teaching at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He was a long-time editor and publisher of scientific journals and pub ...

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 r ...

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 university, public research university in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. Chartered in 1798 as the Jefferson Seminary, it became in the 19t ...

Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order. He was the winner of the 1956 AAAS Prize for Behavioral Science Research.

References

External links