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(1891-1970) Member of the Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques and Professor of Canon Law.

Le Bras's interest was aroused by questions such as these: "Why, for whom, for which society and in what social circumstances were these laws established, and how did this society receive them, apply them, and change them?" Beginning in 1931, and employing anthropological, geographic, and psychological principles, he stimulated empirical and historical studies to evaluate the regional vitality of French Catholicism, establishing a "school" of religious sociology. Later, he extended his field of inquiry to other religions, adopting the term sociology of religions .

—Karel Dobbelaere

References

H. Desroche, "In memoriam Gabriel Le Bras" (followed by G. Le Bras, " 'Discours synthétique' d'un Récipiendaire"), Archives de sociologie des religions 27(1970):3-14

F.-A. Isambert, "Développement et dépasssement de l'étude de la pratique religieuse chez Gabriel Le Bras," Cahiers Internationaux de Sociologie 20(1956):149-169

G. Le Bras, Études de sociologie religieuse (Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1955-1956).

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