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Douglas James Davies

ダグラス・ジェームズ・デイヴィス

Douglas James Davies

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1947-02-11 （Llwynypia, Rhondda Valley, Wales）
Nationality
United Kingdom
Languages
English
Religion
Anglican (Church of England)
Residence History
Bedlinog, Wales → Nottingham, England → Durham, England

Career

Occupations
Religious studies scholar, Theologian, Anthropologist, Anglican priest, Professor, Researcher
Active Years
1974-
Affiliations
Durham University (Study of Religion), University of Nottingham (Theology/Religious Studies), College of St Hild and St Bede, Durham, St Chad's College (member of Senior Common Room)
Memberships
British Academy (member), Learned Society of Wales (member), Academy of Social Sciences (member)

Education

St John's College, Durham
Anthropology
Degree: BA
Year of Graduation: 1969
Country: United Kingdom
Undergraduate degree in anthropology
St Peter's College, Oxford
Social Anthropology (under Oxford Institute of Social Anthropology supervision)
Degree: MLitt
Year of Graduation: 1972
Country: United Kingdom
Research MLitt on Mormonism supervised by Bryan R. Wilson
Durham University (Cranmer Hall)
Theology
Degree: BA
Year of Graduation: 1973
Country: United Kingdom
Studied theology while training for ordained ministry
University of Nottingham
Religious studies (research on meaning and salvation)
Degree: PhD
Year of Graduation: 1980
Country: United Kingdom
Doctoral thesis: 'The notion of meaning and salvation in religious studies'
University of Oxford
Degree: DLitt
Year of Graduation: 2004
Country: United Kingdom
Higher doctorate (Doctor of Letters) awarded for research

Awards

Fellow of the British Academy (FBA)
2017
Organization: British Academy
Result: 選出
Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS)
2009
Organization: Academy of Social Sciences
Result: 選出
Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales (FLSW)
2012
Organization: Learned Society of Wales
Result: 選出
Honorary Doctor of Theology (DTheol)
1998
Organization: Uppsala University (Faculty of Theology)
Result: 授与
Bookseller/Diagram Prize for Oddest Title of the Year
1995
Work: Reusing Old Graves: A Report on Popular British Attitudes
Organization: The Bookseller/Diagram Prize
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

A Brief History of Death

2005 Academic history / Religious history

A concise overview of the history of death, addressing cultural changes and shifting religious and social attitudes toward death.

deathritualcultural history

The Theology of Death

2008 Theology

A theological exploration of death, analyzing concepts of salvation, afterlife, and the relationship with religious rituals.

theologysalvationfunerary rites

Death, Ritual and Belief

1997 Religious studies / Anthropology

A cross-disciplinary analysis of funerary rites, discussing beliefs and social practices surrounding death.

funerary ritesbeliefsocial practices

An Introduction to Mormonism

2003 Religious studies

An introductory account of Mormonism (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), covering beliefs, history, and culture.

Mormon studiesreligious culturebelief systems

Bibliography

  • Mors Britannica: Lifestyle and Death-style in Britain Today (2015)
  • Emotions and Religious Dynamics (ed., 2013)
  • Natural Burial; Traditional-Secular Spiritualities and Funeral Innovation (with Hannah Rumble, 2012)
  • Emotion, Identity and Death: Mortality across Disciplines (with Chang-Won Park, 2012)
  • Emotion, Identity, and Religion: Hope, Reciprocity, and Otherness (2011)
  • Joseph Smith, Jesus, and Satanic Opposition: Atonement, Evil and the Mormon Vision (2010)
  • The Theology of Death (2008)
  • Bishops, Wives and Children: Spiritual Capital across the Generations (with Mathew Guest, 2007)
  • A Brief History of Death (2005)
  • Encyclopedia of Cremation (editor, 2005)
  • An Introduction to Mormonism (2003)
  • Anthropology and Theology (2002)
  • Death, Ritual and Belief (1997; later editions 2002, 2017)
  • The Mormon Culture of Salvation: Force, Grace and Glory (2000)
  • Reusing Old Graves: A Report on Popular British Attitudes (1995)
  • Cremation Today and Tomorrow (1990)
  • Mormon Spirituality (1987)
  • Meaning and Salvation in Religious Studies (1984)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
academiccomparativeanalyticalempirically grounded
Recurring Motifs
death and funerary ritesreligious identityritual and symbolismMormon studies

Legacy

Davies is an internationally recognized scholar in death studies, funerary rites, sociology of religion, and Mormon studies. Through numerous books and edited volumes he has advanced understanding of religion and death; he has been elected to major UK academic academies and received honorary degrees.

Academic Societies

  • British Academy
  • Academy of Social Sciences
  • Learned Society of Wales

Archives

  • Durham University Department of Theology & Centre for Death and Life Studies holdings

Trivia

  • Co-author of Reusing Old Graves, which won the 1995 Bookseller/Diagram Prize for Oddest Title of the Year.
  • Known for interdisciplinary work on death and funerary rites, combining anthropology, theology and religious studies.