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Richard Madsen

リチャード・マドセン

Richard Madsen

Profile

Gender
Male
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Religion
Roman Catholic
Residence History
United States (California, UC San Diego) → Taiwan (Taipei, study/research stay)

Career

Occupations
Sociologist, Professor, Author
Active Years
1968-
Affiliations
University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego), UC Fudan Center (School of Global Policy and Strategy), Ford Foundation project (co-director)
Memberships
American Sociological Association

Education

Maryknoll College
Department of Philosophy / Philosophy
Degree: A.B.
Country: United States
Maryknoll Seminary
Degree: B.D. (1967), M.Th. (1968)
Period: 1960s
Year of Graduation: 1968
Country: United States
Received B.D. (1967) and M.Th. (1968)
Fu Jen Catholic University (Chinese Language Institute)
Chinese language study
Period: 1968-1970
Country: Taiwan
Studied Chinese language
National Taiwan University (Department of Sociology)
Sociology
Period: 1970-1971
Country: Taiwan
Field study and research
Harvard University
Religious Studies (MA), Sociology (PhD)
Degree: M.A. (Religious Studies, 1972); Ph.D. (Sociology, 1977)
Period: 1970s
Year of Graduation: 1977
Country: United States
MA (1972) and PhD (1977) focused on East Asia

Awards

Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction (Jury Nominee)
1985
Work: Habits of the Heart (co-authored)
Organization: Pulitzer Prize jury/committee
Result: Jury nominee
L.A. Times Book Award
1985
Work: Habits of the Heart (co-authored)
Category: 書評／社会科学
Organization: Los Angeles Times
Result: 受賞
C. Wright Mills Award
1984
Work: Morality and Power in a Chinese Village
Organization: Society for the Study of Social Problems (or related organization)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Chinese Pursuit of Happiness: Anxieties, Hopes, and Moral Tensions in Everyday Life

2019 Sociology / Non-fiction

Fieldwork-based analysis of Chinese everyday notions of happiness, moral tensions, hopes, and anxieties.

happinessmoralityeveryday lifecontemporary China

Democracy's Dharma: Religious Renaissance and Political Development in Taiwan

2007 Sociology / Political sociology

Study of religious revival in Taiwan and its impacts on politics and civil society.

religious revivalTaiwancivil societypolitical development

China's Catholics: Tragedy and Hope in an Emerging Civil Society

1998 Sociology of religion / Non-fiction

Examines the situation of Catholic communities in China and the potentials and difficulties for civil society.

Catholicismreligion and societyChinacivil society

China and the American Dream: A Moral Inquiry

1995 Cultural sociology / Comparative sociology

Comparative inquiry into American and Chinese moral values, contrasting the American Dream with Chinese social orientations.

comparative sociologymoralitycultural values

Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life

1985 Sociology / Cultural studies

A co-authored seminal work analyzing tensions between individualism and communal commitment in American society.

individualismcommunityAmerican culture

Morality and Power in a Chinese Village

1984 Sociology / Ethnography

An ethnographic study detailing social structure, power relations, and moral norms in a Chinese village.

fieldworkpowermoralityrural society

Chen Village: Revolution to Globalization

1984 Sociology / Case study

Co-authored case study tracing social change in a Chinese village from revolution to globalization.

social changerural studiesglobalization

Bibliography

  • Yang-Hsu, Becky and Richard Madsen (2019). The Chinese Pursuit of Happiness. Berkeley: University of California Press.
  • Madsen, Richard (2007). Democracy's Dharma. Berkeley: University of California Press.
  • Madsen, Richard (1998). China's Catholics. Berkeley: University of California Press.
  • Madsen, Richard (1995). China and the American Dream. Berkeley: University of California Press.
  • Bellah et al. (1985). Habits of the Heart. Berkeley: University of California Press.
  • Madsen, Richard (1984). Morality and Power in a Chinese Village. Berkeley: University of California Press.
  • Chan, Anita; Richard Madsen; Jonathan Unger (1984). Chen Village. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Academic, fieldwork-based writingAnalyses that incorporate comparative and historical perspectives
Recurring Motifs
relations between religion and societymorality and powerformation of civil societyvalues in everyday life

Legacy

Richard Madsen is known for significant research on Chinese society and religion and on Taiwan's political society. His fieldwork-based ethnographies and his role in projects supporting the revival of sociology in China and directing the UC Fudan Center have contributed to bridging Chinese studies and sociology.

Academic Societies

  • American Sociological Association

Trivia

  • After studying at Maryknoll College (philosophy), he earned theological degrees at Maryknoll Seminary.
  • Studied and conducted research in Taiwan (Fu Jen Catholic University, National Taiwan University).
  • Known as a co-author of 'Habits of the Heart'.
  • Joined UC San Diego in 1983 and has served as director of the UC Fudan Center.