GOBLET D’ALVIELLA, Eugène Félicien Albert, comte. Ixelles (Brussels) 10.8.1846 — Ibid. 9.9.1925. Belgian Scholar of Comparative Religion with special interest in India and Egypt, Lawyer and Liberal Politician. Professor in Brussels. Son of Count Louis G. d’A. (1823–1863), member of the Belgian House of Representatives, and Coralie d’Auxy de Neufvilles. Educated in Brussels and Paris. Dr.Polit.Science, Ph.D., and Dr.iuris at Brussels. Called to the bar, in 1872 became member of the provincial council of Brabant. In 1875 accompanied the Prince of Wales to India as special correspondent of the Indépendence Belge, afterwards visited Sikkim and Buddhist monasteries. In 1878-83 in the Belgian House of Representatives. In 1884-1914 the first Professor of History of Religion at Bruxelles Free University, 1896-98 its Rector. From 1887 member of Belgian Academy of Sciences, from 1897 its president. From 1892 member of the Senate, from 1894 Senator of Belgium, from 1900 Secretary of the Senate. Died in accident. Honorary LL.D. Glasgow 1901 and Aberdeen. Freemason. Married 1879 Margaret Alice Packard, children.
Publications: L’Inde et Himalaya. Souvenirs de Voyage. 395 p. P. 1877.
– L’évolution religieuse contemporaine chez les Anglais, les Américains et les Hindous. 20+432 p. P. 1884; Introduction à l’histoire générale des religions. 8+176 p. Brussels 1887.
– L’idée de Dieu d’après l’anthropologie et l’histoire. 14+328 p. P. 189?; English tr. 189?.
– La Migration des Symboles. 343 p. P. 1891, English transl. 1894.
– Ce que l’Inde doit à Grèce. Des influences classiques dans la civilisation de l’Inde. P. 1894, 2nd ed. 155 p. P. 1926.
– “La sociologie de M. Durkheim et l’histoire des religions”, RHR 67, 1913, 192-221; “L’initiation: institution sociale, magique et religieuse”, RHR 81, 1920, 1-25.
– Numerous articles on history of religion, a selection published in Croyances, Rites, Superstitions. 1-3. P. 1911; reviews in RHR.
Sources: Dict. biogr. des Sciences, des Lettres et des Arts en Belgique. 1. Bruxelles 1935, with photo; Buckland, Dictionary; *Ph. Colinet: “La Philosophie de M. G.d’A. et l’Histoire des Religions”, Le Muséon 30 (N.S. 12), 1911, 329-362; *A. Dierkens (ed.), E.G.d’A., historien et franc-maçon. Actes du colloque. Bruxelles 1995; P. Servais, D.O.L.F. 451; F. W. Thomas, JRAS 1925, 814f.; *F. Vanlangenhove, Nouv. Biogr. nat. 1, 1979, 359-362; Wikipedia with photo (another and more details in French version).
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