Christie Davies | |
|---|---|
.JPG) Christie Davies – 2014 | |
| Born | John Christopher Hughes Davies (1941-12-25)25 December 1941 Cheam, Surrey |
| Died | 26 August 2017(2017-08-26) (aged 75) |
| Nationality | Welsh |
| Occupation(s) | Academic, Sociologist, Author |
| Spouse | Jan |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | Emmanuel College, Cambridge |
| Academic work | |
| Notable works | Ethnic Humor Around the World: a Comparative Analysis Jokes and their Relation to Society The Mirth of Nations |
John Christopher Hughes "Christie"Davies (25 December 1941 – 26 August 2017) was a Britishsociologist,professor emeritus of sociology at theUniversity of Reading, England, the author of many articles and books on criminology, thesociology of morality, censorship, and humour. He was also a visiting professor in India, Poland, United States, and Australia.[1][2][3]
He was born John Christopher Hughes Davies inCheam, Surrey.[4]: 31 His parents were Welsh, his father an inspector of schools and mother a teacher.[4]: 31 He attended secondary school atDynevor School in Swansea, Wales. He then studied atEmmanuel College, Cambridge (taking part alongsideGermaine Greer,Clive James andEric Idle in theCambridge Footlights) and graduated with adouble first in Economics. In later life, Davies received a PhD from the same university (Cambridge) based on his published works.[4]: 31
In 1964, Davies taught economics at theUniversity of Adelaide,South Australia.[4]: 31 After coming back to the UK, he spent two years at theBBC as a radio producer. He then returned to the academia, lecturing at theUniversity of Leeds for three years, followed by a stint as a visiting lecturer in India.[4]: 31 In 1972 he joined theUniversity of Reading as a lecturer in sociology, receiving promotion to a professor in 1984. In 2002 he retired and was appointed professor emeritus at the same university.[4]: 31
In addition to numerous works on humour, censorship and morality, Davies also published a collection of humorous fantasy stories titledDewi the Dragon.[5]
In his 2002 bookThe Mirth of Nations, Davies criticised the theories which derive humor from conflict and superiority, and argued instead that humor is a form ofplay – a play with aggression, superiority, and taboo-breaking. He also argued against theFreudian theory aboutJewish jokes being mostly self-deprecating, claiming that instead they are based on the cultural tradition of analytical thinking and self-awareness. American folkloristAlan Dundes called the book "the provocative critique of previous scholarship on the subject".[1] In his bookJokes and Targets, he defends what are now considered politically incorrect jokes or even hate speech, claiming that: “Those in a free society who seek to restrain individuals from sharing jokes of which they disapprove are as misguided and intrusive as their Soviet counterparts and about as likely to succeed.”[6]
Davies was past president of theInternational Society for Humor Studies.[7]
In 1983, Davies warned that when Britain handed Hong Kongback toChina in 1997 there would be no future for its 5.5 million inhabitants. He jokingly suggested a new "city state" could be created nearMagilligan Point in betweenColeraine andDerry for resettling Hong Kong inhabitants. Files fromThe National Archives show that the idea triggered some debate amongWhitehall mandarins. David Snoxell, a retired diplomat who took part in the debates revealed it was "a spoof between colleagues who had a sense of humour".[8]
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