![Wendell Bell](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2d/Wendell_Bell.png)
Wendell Bell (September 27, 1924 – November 3, 2019) was a
futurist and
Professor Emeritus
''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...
of
Sociology
Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of Empirical ...
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 wo ...
.
His areas of specialization included sociology, social class, race, family life and future studies.
Early career
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Bell was a naval aviator and served in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
.
Bell graduated in
Social Sciences
Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of soci ...
from
California State University, Fresno in 1948.
He then attained his Ph.D. from
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
in 1952 and served on the faculties of
Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
(1952-4; directed Stanford Survey Research Facility),
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 ...
(1954–57), and UCLA (1957–63; headed
West Indies
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...
Study Program). From 1963 to 1964, he was a Fellow at the
Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford, California.
Yale career
Joining the Yale faculty in 1963, Bell went on to become chairman of the Yale Department of Sociology and helped found the Yale Program of
African American Studies.
He retired from Yale in 1995.
Research interests
While Bell's early research interests focused on the sociology of US cities, and some later research interests focused on the sociology of
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
countries (Bell served as president of the
Caribbean Studies Association
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
from 1979 to 1980), Bell is primarily known for his research and other works as a futurist.
Futurist career
Bell worked as a professional futurist for over 40 years. The
World Futures Studies Federation awarded him a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005. In 2008, the
Association of Professional Futurists selected Bell's two-volume work ''
The Foundations of Futures Studies'' as one of the ten most important
futures studies
Futures studies, futures research, futurism or futurology is the systematic, interdisciplinary and holistic study of social and technological advancement, and other environmental trends, often for the purpose of exploring how people will li ...
books.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Wendell
1924 births
2019 deaths
American futurologists
American sociologists
Northwestern University faculty
Military personnel from Chicago
People from Fresno, California
Stanford University faculty
United States Navy pilots of World War II
California State University, Fresno alumni
University of California, Los Angeles alumni
University of California, Los Angeles faculty
Yale University faculty
Military personnel from California