{{Short description|Dutch sociologist (1930–2020)}} '''Leonardus''' '''"Bert"''' '''Laeyendecker''' (18 June 1930 – 8 August 2020) was a Dutch sociologist. He was professor of sociology at [[Leiden University]] from 1973 to 1989. He specialized in [[sociology of religion]].
==Life== Laeyendecker was born on 18 June 1930 in [[Utrecht]].<ref name=ul>{{cite web|url=https://hoogleraren.leidenuniv.nl/id/1517 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200620153605/https://hoogleraren.leidenuniv.nl/id/1517 |title=Leonardus Laeyendecker |language=nl |publisher=Leiden University |archive-date=20 June 2020}}</ref> He obtained his doctorate in social geography at the [[University of Amsterdam]] in 1967 under professor S. Hofstra with a thesis titled: "Religion and conflict: the so-called sects in sociological perspective".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.albumacademicum.uva.nl/cgi/b/bib/bib-idx?type=simple;lang=nl;c=ap;rgn1=entirerecord;q1=Laeyendecker;x=0;y=0;cc=ap;view=reslist;sort=achternaam;fmt=long;page=reslist;start=1;size=1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200622183151/http://www.albumacademicum.uva.nl/cgi/b/bib/bib-idx?type=simple;lang=nl;c=ap;rgn1=entirerecord;q1=Laeyendecker;x=0;y=0;cc=ap;view=reslist;sort=achternaam;fmt=long;page=reslist;start=1;size=1 |title=Dr. L. Laeyendecker, 1930 - |language=nl |publisher=University of Amsterdam |archive-date=22 June 2020}}</ref> From August 1967 to October 1973 he was lector of sociology at the University of Amsterdam. In October 1973 he became professor of sociology at [[Leiden University]].<ref name=ul/> His appointment ended in February 1989 due to a reorganization.<ref name=ul/><ref name=banning>{{cite web|author=Herman Noordegraaf |url=https://www.banningvereniging.nl/maatschappijkritiek-van-oudheid-tot-heden/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190516121052/https://www.banningvereniging.nl/maatschappijkritiek-van-oudheid-tot-heden/ |title=Maatschappijkritiek van oudheid tot heden |language=nl |publisher=Banning Vereniging |date=22 September 2014 |archive-date=16 May 2019}}</ref> From 1989 to 1992 he served as director of the Multidisciplinary Center for Church and Society (Dutch: ''Multidisciplinair Centrum voor Kerk en Samenleving'').<ref name=banning/>
During the 1960s Laeyendecker started research on [[sociology of religion]], especially that of the [[Catholic Church in the Netherlands]], and continued to do so throughout his career.<ref name=banning/> Kees de Groot and Erik Sengers stated that Laeyendecker was one of the greatest sociologists in the Netherlands between the 1970s and 1980s.<ref>{{cite book|title=Sociologies of Religion: National Traditions|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1-l5DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA147|date=7 August 2015|publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-90-04-29758-6|page=147}}</ref>
In early 1970, Laeyendecker resigned as Father [[Augustinians|Augustinian]] because of [[Clerical celibacy in the Catholic Church]] which was also propagated by Dutch Cardinal [[Bernardus Johannes Alfrink]].<ref name="Dijk2013">{{cite book|author=Marc van Dijk|title=De paus van Amsterdam: biografie van Huub Oosterhuis|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PvIvAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT141|date=18 October 2013|publisher=Atlas Contact, Uitgeverij|isbn=978-90-450-2651-0|page=141}}</ref> In 1993 Laeyendecker concluded that the [[Second Vatican Council]] had inspired a counter-reaction and that official authority of the Catholic Church over believers had greatly diminished in the second half of the 20th century.<ref name="Groot2017">{{cite book|author=Kees de Groot|title=The Liquidation of the Church|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=32A1DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT57|date=13 September 2017|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-317-10476-6|page=57}}</ref>
Laeyendecker was elected a member of the [[Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences]] in 1989.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.knaw.nl/en/members/members/4430 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200511190638/https://www.knaw.nl/en/members/members/4430 |title=Leo (Bert) Laeyendecker |publisher=Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences |archive-date=11 May 2020}}</ref>
He died on 8 August 2020 at the age of 90.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://images.nrc.nl/G8jgokhEYP8WKPjIV__EmeqesCA=/x/filters:no_upscale():format(jpeg):fill(f8f8f8,true)/s3/nrchub/clippings/NH/20200813/304-advertisement-215609_1269066_laeyendecker01-d30421.png |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200813171934/https://images.nrc.nl/G8jgokhEYP8WKPjIV__EmeqesCA=/x/filters:no_upscale%28%29:format%28jpeg%29:fill%28f8f8f8,true%29/s3/nrchub/clippings/NH/20200813/304-advertisement-215609_1269066_laeyendecker01-d30421.png |title=Overlijdensbericht Bert Laeyendecker |publisher=NRC Handelsblad |date=13 August 2020 |archive-date=13 August 2020}}</ref>
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Laeyendecker, Bert}} [[Category:1930 births]] [[Category:2020 deaths]] [[Category:Dutch sociologists]] [[Category:Academic staff of Leiden University]] [[Category:Members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences]] [[Category:Writers from Utrecht (city)]] [[Category:Sociologists of religion]] [[Category:University of Amsterdam alumni]]