E.N. THOMPSON: Robert Putnam

“American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us"

Robert Putnam, Harvard Professor

Tuesday, October 2, 2012 - 7:30 p.m.

Governor’s Lecture in the Humanities, Nebraska Humanities Council

Unique among nations, America is deeply religious, religiously diverse and remarkably tolerant. But in recent decades, the nation’s religious landscape has been reshaped. In his lecture, Putnam will explore his recent book, “American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us.”  Co-authored with David Campbell of the University of Notre Dame, the book focuses on the role of religion in American public life. Based on data from two of the most comprehensive national surveys on religion and civic engagement ever conducted, the book won the American Political Science Association’s 2011 Woodrow Wilson Foundation Award for the best book on government, politics, or international affairs.

Acclaimed author and political scientist Robert D. Putnam has helped influence the way people think about the fabric of American society. Putnam, who is Malkin Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University, has written more than a dozen books, including “Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community,” and “Making Democracy Work.” Both are among the most cited publications in the social sciences in the last half century. Putnam is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the British Academy, the American Philosophical Society, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a past president of the American Political Science Association. He has served as an adviser to presidents and national leaders around the world.