Staff profile

Douglas J. Davies is an anthropologist and theologian specialising in the history, theology, and social-scientific study of death. Educated in Social Anthropology (1966-69) and Theology (1971-74) at Durham University, with the intervening years spent at the Oxford Institute of Social Anthropology under the distinguished sociologist Bryan Wilson of All Souls (1969-71), Davies then moved to Nottingham University in 1974 as inaugural Lecturer in the Philosophy and Phenomenology of Religion where he also completed his first doctorate (1979). Returning to Durham in 1997 as Professor in the Study of Religion, Davies continues to teach undergraduate and postgraduate modules on a variety of topics including Worldview-Religious Studies (Level 1); Death, Ritual, and Belief (Level 2); Emotion, Identity, and Religion (Level 3); and Ritual, Symbolism, and Belief in the Anthropology of Religion (Level 4). He also serves as Director of the Centre for Death and Life Studies.   

Davies' broader academic interests embrace the anthropology, sociology, and phenomenology of religion, Mormonism, Sikhism, Anglicanism, and the ongoing interface between Anthropology and Theology (2002). His noteworthy titles among many include Meaning and Salvation in Religious Studies (1984); The Mormon Culture of Salvation (2000); The Encyclopedia of Cremation (2005); The Theology of Death (2008); Emotion, Identity, and Religion (2011); and Mors Britannica: Lifestyle and Death-Style in Britain Today (2015). Death, Ritual, and Belief: The Rhetoric of Funerary Rites, now in its third edition (1997, 2002, 2017), has been translated into five languages. Elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in 2009, the Learned Society of Wales in 2012, and the British Academy in 2017, Davies' contribution to scholarship has also been recognised internationally in numerous collaborations and appointments and by an honorary doctorate from Uppsala University (1998). This was shortly followed, in 2004, by a higher doctorate for research (D.Litt.) from the University of Oxford. In 2024, Davies published a major six-volume work on The Cultural History of Death spanning 2,500 years from Classical Antiquity to the Modern Age.

• 2017: Fellow of the British Academy:
• 2017: Guest, M., Middlemiss-Le Mon, M. (Eds.). (2017). Death, Life and Laughter: Essays on Religion in Honour of Douglas Davies. Routledge: Birth, death and the rituals that take us from one to the other tell us a lot about humanity and our quest to understand ourselves. It is cross-disciplinary analyses of the life course that have generated the most profound insights into religion and spirituality, challenging the concepts and methods we commonly use to understand these universal aspects of human experience. Douglas Davies' work is a rare example of this kind of scholarship, challenging the boundaries that separate theology from the social sciences and that divide academia from public life. This book serves as a tribute to Davies' work and a critical commentary on the questions that arise from it. Featuring essays by renowned international scholars, this book brings cutting-edge research into conversation with ongoing debates about disciplinary difference and the nature of scholarship.
• 2016: Honorary Vice President of the Cremation Society of Great Britain:
• 2012: Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales:
• 2009: Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences:
• 2009: President of the British Association for the Study of Religion:
• 2004: Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.), University of Oxford:
• 1998: Doctor of Sacred Theology (honoris causa), Uppsala University, Sweden:

Authored book

• Worldview Religious Studies
  
  Davies, D. J. (2022). Worldview Religious Studies. Routledge.
• Смерть, Pитуал и Bера: Pиторика погребальных обрядов., trans. Ksenia Kolkunova
  
  Davies, D. J. (2022). Смерть, Pитуал и Bера: Pиторика погребальных обрядов., trans. Ksenia Kolkunova. Новое литературное обозрение.
• Death, Ritual, and Belief: The Rhetoric of Funerary Rites
  
  Davies, D. J. (2017). Death, Ritual, and Belief: The Rhetoric of Funerary Rites (3rd ed.). Bloomsbury.
• Cremation in Modern Scotland: History, Architecture, and the Law
  
  Jupp, P., Davies, D. J., Grainger, H. J., Raeburn, G., & White, S. (2016). Cremation in Modern Scotland: History, Architecture, and the Law. Birlinn Ltd.
• Mors Britannica: Lifestyle and Death-Style in Britain Today
  
  Davies, D. J. (2015). Mors Britannica: Lifestyle and Death-Style in Britain Today. Oxford University Press.
• Natural Burial: Traditional-Secular Spiritualities and Funeral Innovation
  
  Davies, D. J., & Rumble, H. (2012). Natural Burial: Traditional-Secular Spiritualities and Funeral Innovation. Continuum.
• Emotion, Identity, and Religion: Hope, Reciprocity, and Otherness
  
  Davies, D. J. (2011). Emotion, Identity, and Religion: Hope, Reciprocity, and Otherness. Oxford University Press.
• Joseph Smith, Jesus, and Satanic Opposition: Atonement, Evil, and the Mormon Vision
  
  Davies, D. J. (2010). Joseph Smith, Jesus, and Satanic Opposition: Atonement, Evil, and the Mormon Vision. Routledge.
• The Theology of Death
  
  Davies, D. J. (2008). The Theology of Death. T&T Clark.
• Bishops, Wives and Children: Spiritual Capital Across the Generations
  
  Davies, D. J., & Guest, M. J. (2007). Bishops, Wives and Children: Spiritual Capital Across the Generations. Ashgate.
• A Brief History of Death
  
  Davies, D. J. (2005). A Brief History of Death. Blackwell.
• An Introduction to Mormonism
  
  Davies, D. J. (2003). An Introduction to Mormonism. Cambridge University Press.
• Death, Ritual, and Belief: The Rhetoric of Funerary Rites
  
  Davies, D. J. (2002). Death, Ritual, and Belief: The Rhetoric of Funerary Rites (2nd ed.). Continuum.
• Anthropology and Theology
  
  Davies, D. J. (2002). Anthropology and Theology. Routledge.
• Private Passions: Discipleship and Betrayal on the Journey to Jerusalem
  
  Davies, D. J. (2000). Private Passions: Discipleship and Betrayal on the Journey to Jerusalem. Canterbury Press.
• Morte, Riti, e Credenze: La Retorica dei Riti Funebri., trans. Giuliana Fubini
  
  Davies, D. J. (2000). Morte, Riti, e Credenze: La Retorica dei Riti Funebri., trans. Giuliana Fubini. Paravia Scriptorium.
• The Mormon Culture of Salvation
  
  Davies, D. J. (2000). The Mormon Culture of Salvation. Routledge.
• Modern Christianity: Reviewing its Place in Britain Today
  
  Davies, D. J., & Guest, M. J. (2000). Modern Christianity: Reviewing its Place in Britain Today. Garnet Publishing.
• Death, Ritual, and Belief: The Rhetoric of Funerary Rites
  
  Davies, D. J. (1997). Death, Ritual, and Belief: The Rhetoric of Funerary Rites (1st ed.). Cassell.
• Church and Religion in Rural England
  
  Davies, D. J., Watkins, C., & Winter, M. (1991). Church and Religion in Rural England. T&T Clark.
• Mormon Spirituality: Latter-Day Saints in Wales and Zion
  
  Davies, D. J. (1987). Mormon Spirituality: Latter-Day Saints in Wales and Zion. Nottingham University Press.
• Studies in Pastoral Theology and Social Anthropology
  
  Davies, D. J. (1986). Studies in Pastoral Theology and Social Anthropology.

Chapter in book

• 'Mourning Academic Mentors and Mentees'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2023). ’Mourning Academic Mentors and Mentees’. In M. Sławkowski-Rode (Ed.), The Meaning of Mourning: Perspectives on Death, Loss, and Grief (pp. 149-170). Lexington Books.
• 'NHS values, ritual, religion, and Covid-19 death'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2021). ’NHS values, ritual, religion, and Covid-19 death’. In P. Pentaris (Ed.), Death, Grief, and Loss in the Context of COVID-19 (pp. 121-133).
• 'Bereavement, Sacred-Secrecy, and Dreams'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2021). ’Bereavement, Sacred-Secrecy, and Dreams’. In C. Pearce & C. Komaromy (Eds.), Narratives of Parental Death, Dying and Bereavement: A Kind of Haunting (pp. 167-188). Palgrave Macmillan.
• ‘Grief in human and companion-animal loss, bonding, and dividual personhood’
  
  Davies, D. J. (2021). ‘Grief in human and companion-animal loss, bonding, and dividual personhood’. In M. H. Jacobsen & A. Peterson (Eds.), Exploring Grief: Towards a Sociology of Sorrow (pp. 153-168). Routledge.
• 'Embodied Shadows: Sculpted Memory, Sensed Presence, and the Third Party'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2021). ’Embodied Shadows: Sculpted Memory, Sensed Presence, and the Third Party’. In M. Sandy & S. Cracolici (Eds.), Ghostly Encounters: Cultural and Imaginary Representations of the Spectral from the Nineteenth Century to the Present (pp. 74-88). Routledge.
• ‘Spirit Possession and Exorcism in Today’s Church of England’
  
  Davies, D. J. (2020). ‘Spirit Possession and Exorcism in Today’s Church of England’. In G. Giordan & A. Possamai (Eds.), The Social Scientific Study of Exorcism in Christianity (pp. 137–157). Springer.
• ‘Sociology of Ministry’
  
  Davies, D. J. (2019). ‘Sociology of Ministry’. In M. Percy, I. Markham, E. Percy, & F. Po (Eds.), The Study of Ministry: A Comprehensive Survey of Theory and Best Practice (pp. 56-69). SPCK.
• 'Ritual, Identity, and Emotion'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2018). ’Ritual, Identity, and Emotion’. In R. Uro, R. Roitto, J. Day, & R. DeMaris (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Early Christian Ritual (pp. 55-73). Oxford University Press.
• 'Anthropology and Theology: Fugues of Thought and Action'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2018). ’Anthropology and Theology: Fugues of Thought and Action’. In J. D. Lemons (Ed.), Theologically Engaged Anthropology (pp. 194-210). Oxford University Press.
• 'The Death Turn: Interdisciplinarity, Mourning, and Material Culture'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2018). ’The Death Turn: Interdisciplinarity, Mourning, and Material Culture’. In Z. Newby & R. E. Toulson (Eds.), The Materiality of Mourning: Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives (pp. 245-260). Routledge.
• 'Kaleidoscopic Crematoria'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2018). ’Kaleidoscopic Crematoria’. In J. Visschers, L. Cramwinckel, K. Coenegrachts, & T. Olsen (Eds.), Goodbye Architecture: The Architecture of Crematoria in Europe (pp. 219-225). NAI Publishers.
• 'Death's Impossible Date'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2017). ’Death’s Impossible Date’. In S. McCorristine (Ed.), Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Mortality and Its Timings: When is Death? (pp. 103-117). Palgrave Macmillan.
• 'Death and Afterlife'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2017). ’Death and Afterlife’. In R. A. Segal (Ed.), The Blackwell Companion to the Study of Religion (pp. 229-237). Blackwell.
• 'Anthropology and Death’
  
  Davies, D. J. (2017). ’Anthropology and Death’. In C. M. Moreman (Ed.), The Routledge Companion to Death and Dying (pp. 543-547). Routledge.
• ‘Cremation’
  
  Davies, D. J. (2017). ‘Cremation’. In C. M. Moreman (Ed.), The Routledge Companion to Death and Dying (pp. 287-294). Routledge.
• 'Death in Material and Mental Culture'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2016). ’Death in Material and Mental Culture’. In T. Hutchings & J. McKenzie (Eds.), Materiality and the Study of Religion: The Stuff of the Sacred (pp. 169-184). Routledge.
• ‘Mormon Studies’
  
  Davies, D. J. (2016). ‘Mormon Studies’. In G. D. Chryssides & B. E. Zeller (Eds.), The Bloomsbury Companion to New Religious Movements (pp. 47-51). Bloomsbury.
• 'Salvation, Death, and Nature as Grace'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2015). ’Salvation, Death, and Nature as Grace’. In H. Bacon, W. Dossett, & S. Knowles (Eds.), Alternative Salvations: Engaging the Sacred and the Secular (pp. 85-96). Bloomsbury.
• 'Emotions, Grief, and Reality-Unreality in Human Mortality'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2015). ’Emotions, Grief, and Reality-Unreality in Human Mortality’. In O. Hakola, S. Heinämaa, & S. Phihlström (Eds.), Death and Mortality: From Individual to Communal Perspectives (pp. 10-31). Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies.
• 'Valuing Emotion in Tragedy'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2015). ’Valuing Emotion in Tragedy’. In A. Day & M. Lövheim (Eds.), Modernities, Memory, and Mutations: Grace Davie and the Study of Religion (pp. 113-130). Ashgate.
• 'Immortality'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2015). ’Immortality’. In J. Behr & C. Cunningham (Eds.), The Role of Death in Life: A Multidisciplinary Examination of the Relationship between Life and Death (pp. 31-44). Cascade Books.
• ‘Modern Ethos and Spirituality in Changing Times’
  
  Davies, D. J., & Rowe, P. (2015). ‘Modern Ethos and Spirituality in Changing Times’. In D. Brown (Ed.), Durham Cathedral: History, Fabric and Culture (pp. 367-380). Yale University Press.
• ‘Emotion, Identity, and Group Communication’
  
  Davies, D. J. (2014). ‘Emotion, Identity, and Group Communication’. In D. J. Davies & N. A. Warne (Eds.), Emotions and Religious Dynamics (pp. 1-8). Ashgate.
• 'Thriving through Myth'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2013). ’Thriving through Myth’. In C. Cook (Ed.), Spirituality, Theology and Mental Health Multidisciplinary Perspectives (pp. 160-177). SCM Press.
• ‘Kulturelt svik dodelighet og livskraft. 22 juli sett utenfra’
  
  Davies, D. J. (2013). ‘Kulturelt svik dodelighet og livskraft. 22 juli sett utenfra’. In O. Aagedal, P. K. Botvar, & I. M. Høeg (Eds.), Den Offentlige Sorgen: Markeringer, Ritualer og Religion etter 22 Juli. Universitetsforlaget.
• ‘The Sea of Faith: Exemplifying Transformed Retention’
  
  Davies, D. J., & Northam-Jones, D. (2012). ‘The Sea of Faith: Exemplifying Transformed Retention’. In M. J. Guest & E. Arweck (Eds.), Religion and Knowledge (pp. 227-246). Ashgate.
• ‘Gnade und Gehorsam im Mormonentum’
  
  Davies, D. J. (2012). ‘Gnade und Gehorsam im Mormonentum’. In K. Funkschmidt (Ed.), Zwischen Familiensinn und Politischem Engagement (pp. 17-31). Evangelische Zentralstelle für Weltanschauungsfragen.
• 'Ritual’
  
  Davies, D. J. (2012). ’Ritual’. In M. Cobb, C. M. Puchalski, & B. Rumbold (Eds.), Oxford Textbook of Spirituality in Healthcare (pp. 163-169). Oxford University Press.
• ‘Changing British Ritualization’
  
  Davies, D. J. (2012). ‘Changing British Ritualization’. In L. Woodhead & R. Catto (Eds.), Religion and Change in Modern Britain (pp. 203-218). Routledge.
• ‘Mormon Studies in a European Setting’
  
  Davies, D. J. (2011). ‘Mormon Studies in a European Setting’. In S. Taysom (Ed.), Dimensions of Faith: A Mormon Studies Reader (pp. 73–82). Signature Books.
• 'Geographies of the Spirit World'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2010). ’Geographies of the Spirit World’. In J. Hockey, C. Komaromy, & K. Woodthorpe (Eds.), The Matter of Death: Space, Place and Materiality (pp. 208-222). Palgrave Macmillan.
• 'Dying in the Judaeo-Christian Tradition'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2009). ’Dying in the Judaeo-Christian Tradition’. In A. Kellehear (Ed.), The Study of Dying: From Autonomy to Transformation (pp. 233-252). Cambridge University Press.
• ‘Latter-Day Saints’
  
  Davies, D. J. (2009). ‘Latter-Day Saints’. In G. Harvey (Ed.), Religions in Focus (pp. 143-156). Routledge.
• 'Cremation'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2009). ’Cremation’. In C. D. Bryant & D. L. Peck (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Death and the Human Experience (pp. 232-237).
• 'Cremation Movements'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2009). ’Cremation Movements’. In C. D. Bryant & D. L. Peck (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Death and the Human Experience (pp. 237-241).
• 'Baptism for the Dead'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2009). ’Baptism for the Dead’. In C. D. Bryant & D. L. Peck (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Death and the Human Experience (pp. 98-101).
• 'Superplausibility in Life and Death'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2009). ’Superplausibility in Life and Death’. In A. D. Bremborg, G. K. Hallonsten, & G. Gustafsson (Eds.), Religionssociologi i Brytningstider: en Vänbok till Curt Dahlgren (pp. 13-28). Centrum för Teologi och Religionsvetenskap, Lunds Universitet.
• 'Christ in Mormonism'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2009). ’Christ in Mormonism’. In O. Hammer (Ed.), Alternative Christs (pp. 170-189). Cambridge University Press.
• 'Resurrection and Immortality of the Soul'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2008). ’Resurrection and Immortality of the Soul’. In P. C. Jupp (Ed.), Death our Future: Christian Theology and Funeral Practice (pp. 82-92). Epworth Press.
• 'Visions, Revelations, and Courage in Joseph Smith'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2008). ’Visions, Revelations, and Courage in Joseph Smith’. In R. L. Neilson & T. L. Givens (Eds.), Joseph Smith: Reappraisals After Two Centuries (pp. 129-142). Oxford University Press.
• 'Cultural Intensification: A Theory for Religion'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2008). ’Cultural Intensification: A Theory for Religion’. In A. Day (Ed.), Religion and the Individual: Belief, Practice, Identity (pp. 7-18). Ashgate.
• ‘The Invention of Sacred Tradition: Mormonism’
  
  Davies, D. J. (2007). ‘The Invention of Sacred Tradition: Mormonism’. In J. R. Lewis & O. Hammer (Eds.), The Invention of Sacred Tradition (pp. 56-75). Cambridge University Press.
• ‘Altruism, Ritual, Welfare, and Practical Theology’
  
  Davies, D. J. (2006). ‘Altruism, Ritual, Welfare, and Practical Theology’. In A. B. Yeung (Ed.), Rajojen Ylityksiä: Uskonto, Kirkko, Sosiologia (pp. 121-146). Suomalainen Teologinen Kirjallisuusseura.
• 'Inner Speech and Religious Traditions'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2006). ’Inner Speech and Religious Traditions’. In J. Walliss & J. A. Beckford (Eds.), Theorising Religion: Classical and Contemporary Debates (pp. 211-223). Ashgate.
• 'Forms of Disposal'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2005). ’Forms of Disposal’. In K. Garces-Foley (Ed.), Death and Religion in a Changing World (pp. 228-245). Routledge.
• ‘Welfare, Spirituality and the Quality of Life and Place’
  
  Davies, D. J. (2005). ‘Welfare, Spirituality and the Quality of Life and Place’. In A. Bäckström (Ed.), Welfare and Religion: A Publication to Mark the Fifth Anniversary of the Uppsala Institute for Diaconal and Social Studies (pp. 88-96). DVI.
• ‘Anglican Soteriology: Incarnation, Worship, and the Property of Mercy’
  
  Davies, D. J. (2005). ‘Anglican Soteriology: Incarnation, Worship, and the Property of Mercy’. In R. R. Keller & R. L. Millett (Eds.), Salvation in Christ: Comparative Christian Views (pp. 53-68). Brigham Young University.
• 'Priests, Parish, and People: Reconceiving a Relationship'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2004). ’Priests, Parish, and People: Reconceiving a Relationship’. In M. J. Guest, K. Tusting, & L. Woodhead (Eds.), Congregational Studies in the UK: Christianity in a Post-Christian Context (pp. 153-168). Ashgate.
• ‘Time, Place, and the Mormon Sense of Self'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2004). ‘Time, Place, and the Mormon Sense of Self’. In S. Coleman & P. Collins (Eds.), Religion, Identity, and Change: Perspectives on Global Transformations (pp. 107-118). Ashgate.
• 'Mormonism'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2004). ’Mormonism’. In H. Hillerbrand (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Protestantism (pp. 1313–1317). Routledge.
• ‘Purity, Spirit, and Reciprocity in the Acts of the Apostles’
  
  Davies, D. J. (2004). ‘Purity, Spirit, and Reciprocity in the Acts of the Apostles’. In L. Lawrence & M. Aguilar (Eds.), Anthropology and Biblical Studies: Avenues of Approach (pp. 259–280). Deo Publishing.
• ‘Cultural and Spiritual Aspects of Palliative Medicine’
  
  Davies, D. J., & Cassidy, J. P. (2003). ‘Cultural and Spiritual Aspects of Palliative Medicine’. In D. Doyle, G. Hanks, N. Cherny, & K. Calman (Eds.), Oxford Textbook of Palliative Medicine (pp. 951-957). Oxford University Press.
• ‘The Sociology of Wisdom’
  
  Davies, D. J. (2003). ‘The Sociology of Wisdom’. In J. A. Beckford & J. T. Richardson (Eds.), Challenging Religion: Essays in Honour of Eileen Barker (pp. 185-195).
• ‘The Sociology of Holiness: The Power of Being Good’
  
  Davies, D. J. (2003). ‘The Sociology of Holiness: The Power of Being Good’. In S. C. Barton (Ed.), Holiness: Past and Present (pp. 48-67). T&T Clark.
• ‘Anthropology of Religion’
  
  Davies, D. J. (2002). ‘Anthropology of Religion’. In W. Carr (Ed.), The New Dictionary of Pastoral Studies (pp. 19-20). SPCK.
• ‘Gestus manifests habitus: Dress and the Mormon’
  
  Davies, D. J. (2001). ‘Gestus manifests habitus: Dress and the Mormon’. In W. Keenan (Ed.), Dressed to Impress (pp. 123-140). Berg.
• 'Health, Morality, and Sacrifice: the Sociology of Disasters'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2000). ’Health, Morality, and Sacrifice: the Sociology of Disasters’. In R. K. Fenn (Ed.), The Blackwell Companion to the Sociology of Religion (pp. 404-417).
• 'Ethics of Cremation and Religion'
  
  Davies, D. J. (1999). ’Ethics of Cremation and Religion’. In R. Lichtner (Ed.), Handbook on Cremation (pp. 55-73). Fachverlag des Deutschen Bestattungsgewerbes.
• ‘The Week of Mourning’
  
  Davies, D. J. (1999). ‘The Week of Mourning’. In T. Walter (Ed.), The Mourning for Diana (pp. 3-18). Routledge.
• 'Rites of Passage in Training Non-Stipendiary Ministers'
  
  Davies, D. J. (1998). ’Rites of Passage in Training Non-Stipendiary Ministers’. In J. Francis & L. J. Francis (Eds.), Tentmaking: Perspectives on Self-Supporting Ministry (pp. 226-235). Gracewing.
• ‘Theologies of Disposal’
  
  Davies, D. J. (1997). ‘Theologies of Disposal’. In P. C. Jupp & T. Rogers (Eds.), Interpreting Death: Christian Theology and Pastoral Practice (pp. 67-84). Cassell.
• ‘Contemporary Belief in Life After Death’
  
  Davies, D. J. (1997). ‘Contemporary Belief in Life After Death’. In P. C. Jupp & T. Rogers (Eds.), Interpreting Death: Christian Theology and Pastoral Practice (pp. 131-142). Cassell.
• 'The Social Facts of Death'
  
  Davies, D. J. (1995). ’The Social Facts of Death’. In G. Howarth & P. Jupp (Eds.), Contemporary Issues in the Sociology of Death, Dying and Disposal (pp. 17-29). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-24303-7_2
• 'Rebounding Vitality: Resurrection and Spirit in Luke-Acts'
  
  Davies, D. J. (1995). ’Rebounding Vitality: Resurrection and Spirit in Luke-Acts’. In M. D. Carroll, D. J. A. Clines, & P. R. Davies (Eds.), The Bible in Human Society: Essays in Honour of John Rogerson (pp. 205-224).
• ‘William Robertson Smith and Frank Byron Jevons: Faith and Evolution’
  
  Davies, D. J. (1995). ‘William Robertson Smith and Frank Byron Jevons: Faith and Evolution’. In W. Johnstone (Ed.), William Robertson Smith: Essays in Reassessment. Sheffield University Press.
• 'Pilgrimage in Mormon Culture'
  
  Davies, D. J. (1991). ’Pilgrimage in Mormon Culture’. In M. Jha (Ed.), Social Anthropology of Pilgrimage (pp. 30-46). Inter-Indian Press.
• 'Mormon History, Identity, and Faith Community'
  
  Davies, D. J. (1989). ’Mormon History, Identity, and Faith Community’. In E. Tonkin, M. McDonald, & M. Chapman (Eds.), History and Ethnicity (pp. 168-182). Routledge.
• ‘The Evocative Symbolism of Trees’
  
  Davies, D. J. (1988). ‘The Evocative Symbolism of Trees’. In D. Cosgrove & S. Daniels (Eds.), The Iconography of Landscape (pp. 32-42). Cambridge University Press.
• 'Person, Power, and Priesthood'
  
  Davies, D. J. (1986). ’Person, Power, and Priesthood’. In J. Fuller & P. Vaughan (Eds.), Working for the Kingdom: Story of Ministers in Secular Employment. SPCK.
• 'F.B. Jevons'
  
  Davies, D. J. (1985). ’F.B. Jevons’. In J. E. Thomas & B. Elsey (Eds.), International Biography of Adult Education. Nottingham University Press.
• ‘Interpretation of Sacrifice in Leviticus’
  
  Davies, D. J. (1985). ‘Interpretation of Sacrifice in Leviticus’. In B. Lang (Ed.), Anthropological Approaches to the Old Testament. SPCK.
• 'The Charismatic Ethic and the Spirit of Post-Industrialism'
  
  Davies, D. J. (1984). ’The Charismatic Ethic and the Spirit of Post-Industrialism’. In D. Martin & P. Mullen (Eds.), Strange Gifts: A Guide to Charismatic Renewal. Blackwell.
• 'Aspects of Latter-day Saint Eschatology'
  
  Davies, D. J. (1973). ’Aspects of Latter-day Saint Eschatology’. In M. E. Hill (Ed.), Sociological Yearbook of Religion in Britain. SCM Press.

Edited book

• Literary, Cultural, and Material Responses to Death, Loss, Memory, and Mourning in the Long Nineteenth Century: 1780-1914.
  
  Davies, D. J., McCullough, M., Sandy, M., Scarre, G., & Whitefield, R. (Eds.). (in press). Literary, Cultural, and Material Responses to Death, Loss, Memory, and Mourning in the Long Nineteenth Century: 1780-1914. Routledge.
• Religious, Spiritual, and Ecclesiastical Responses to Death, Loss, Memory, and Mourning in the Long Nineteenth Century: 1780-1914.
  
  Davies, D. J., & Whitefield, R. (Eds.). (in press). Religious, Spiritual, and Ecclesiastical Responses to Death, Loss, Memory, and Mourning in the Long Nineteenth Century: 1780-1914. Routledge.
• Historical, Political, and Public Responses to Death, Loss, Memory, and Mourning in the Long Nineteenth Century: 1780-1914.
  
  Davies, D. J., McCullough, M., Sandy, M., Scarre, G., & Whitefield, R. (Eds.). (in press). Historical, Political, and Public Responses to Death, Loss, Memory, and Mourning in the Long Nineteenth Century: 1780-1914. Routledge.
• A Cultural History of Death
  
  Davies, D. J. (Ed.). (2024). A Cultural History of Death. Bloomsbury.
• Religion and the Individual: Belief, Practice, and Identity
  
  Davies, D. J., & Thate, M. J. (Eds.). (2017). Religion and the Individual: Belief, Practice, and Identity. MPDI.
• Sacred Selves, Sacred Settings: Reflecting Hans Mol
  
  Davies, D. J., & Powell, A. J. (Eds.). (2015). Sacred Selves, Sacred Settings: Reflecting Hans Mol. Ashgate.
• Emotions and Religious Dynamics
  
  Davies, D. J., & Warne, N. A. (Eds.). (2014). Emotions and Religious Dynamics. Ashgate.
• Emotion, Identity, and Death: Mortality Across Disciplines
  
  Davies, D. J., & Park, C. W. (Eds.). (2012). Emotion, Identity, and Death: Mortality Across Disciplines. Ashgate.
• The Encyclopedia of Cremation
  
  Davies, D. J., & Mates, L. H. (Eds.). (2005). The Encyclopedia of Cremation. Ashgate.
• Studying Local Churches: A Handbook
  
  Cameron, H., Richter, P. J., Davies, D. J., & Ward, F. (Eds.). (2005). Studying Local Churches: A Handbook. SCM Press.
• Themes and Issues in Christianity
  
  Davies, D. J., & Drury, C. (1997). Themes and Issues in Christianity. Cassell.
• Mormon Identities in Transition
  
  Davies, D. J. (Ed.). (1996). Mormon Identities in Transition. Cassell.

Journal Article

• 'Afterword: Play, Personhood and Digital Mortality'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2024). ’Afterword: Play, Personhood and Digital Mortality’. Social Sciences, 13(8), Article 384. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13080384
• 'The National Memorial Arboretum: An Ecology of Remembrance'
  
  Whitefield, R., & Davies, D. J. (2022). ’The National Memorial Arboretum: An Ecology of Remembrance’. Mausolus, 22(2), 38-47.
• 'Funerals, Liturgy, Culture Shifts, Global Warming, and Corpse Disposal'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2022). ’Funerals, Liturgy, Culture Shifts, Global Warming, and Corpse Disposal’. Scottish Episcopal Institute Journal, 6(3), 7-30.
• 'Dividual identity in grief theories, palliative and bereavement care'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2020). ’Dividual identity in grief theories, palliative and bereavement care’. Palliative Care and Social Practice, 14, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1177/2632352420921867
• 'Baring Witness: 36 Mormon women talk candidly about love, sex, and marriage'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2018). ’Baring Witness: 36 Mormon women talk candidly about love, sex, and marriage’. Theology & Sexuality, 24(1), 60-61.
• 'Monstrosities: Religion, Identity and Belief'
  
  Davies, D. J., & Thate, M. J. (2017). ’Monstrosities: Religion, Identity and Belief’. Religions, 8(6), Article 102. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel8060102
• ‘La miséricorde: mot, doctrine et appropriation’
  
  Davies, D. J. (2016). ‘La miséricorde: mot, doctrine et appropriation’. Unité Des Chrétiens, 182, 11-15.
• 'Sacred Secrecy and the Latter-day Saints'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2013). ’Sacred Secrecy and the Latter-day Saints’. International Journal of Mormon Studies, 6(1), 74-80.
• ‘Father, Jesus, and Lucifer in Pre-Mortal Council'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2010). ‘Father, Jesus, and Lucifer in Pre-Mortal Council’. International Journal of Mormon Studies, 3(1), 1-16.
• ‘Memorable Relations and Paradigmatic Scenes’
  
  Davies, D. J. (2009). ‘Memorable Relations and Paradigmatic Scenes’. DISKUS, 10(1), 1-11.
• 'Death, Immortality, and Sir James Frazer'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2008). ’Death, Immortality, and Sir James Frazer’. Mortality, 13(3), 287-296.
• 'Death, The Great Taboo'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2007). ’Death, The Great Taboo’. New Scientist, 196(2625), 48-49.
• 'Mormon History, Text, Colour and Rites'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2007). ’Mormon History, Text, Colour and Rites’. Journal of Religious History, 31(3), 305-315.
• ‘Changing Values and Deposition: Cremation in Society’
  
  Davies, D. J. (2006). ‘Changing Values and Deposition: Cremation in Society’. Pharos International, 72(1), 15-16.
• ‘Death, Grief, and Mourning Reconsidered’
  
  Davies, D. J. (2005). ‘Death, Grief, and Mourning Reconsidered’. Thanatological Studies, 1, 27-36.
• ‘Dignity and Identity in Life and Death’
  
  Davies, D. J. (2005). ‘Dignity and Identity in Life and Death’. Pharos International, 71(1), 16-17.
• ‘Moral Somatic Relationships’
  
  Davies, D. J. (2004). ‘Moral Somatic Relationships’. Tidsskrift for Kirke Religion Samfunn, 2, 97-105.
• 'Robert Hertz: The social triumph over death'
  
  Davies, D. J. (2000). ’Robert Hertz: The social triumph over death’. Mortality, 5(1), 97-102. https://doi.org/10.1080/713685991
• 'Implicit Religion and Interfaith Dialogue in Human Perspective'
  
  Davies, D. J. (1999). ’Implicit Religion and Interfaith Dialogue in Human Perspective’. Implicit Religion, 2(1), 17-24.
• 'Popular Reaction to the Death of Princess Diana'
  
  Davies, D. J. (1998). ’Popular Reaction to the Death of Princess Diana’. Expository Times, 109(6), 173-176.
• ‘The Sacred Crematorium’
  
  Davies, D. J. (1996). ‘The Sacred Crematorium’. Mortality, 1(1), 83-94.
• 'Jural and Mystical Authority in Religions: Exploring a Typology'
  
  Davies, D. J. (1995). ’Jural and Mystical Authority in Religions: Exploring a Typology’. DISKUS, 3(2), 1-12.
• 'The Dead at the Eucharist'
  
  Davies, D. J. (1993). ’The Dead at the Eucharist’. Modern Churchman, 34(3), 24-32. https://doi.org/10.3828/MC.34.3.26
• 'Spirituality, Churchmanship, and English Anglican Priests'
  
  Davies, D. J. (1993). ’Spirituality, Churchmanship, and English Anglican Priests’. Journal of Empirical Theology, 6(1), 5–18.
• 'Natural and Christian Priesthood in Folk Religiosity'
  
  Davies, D. J. (1985). ’Natural and Christian Priesthood in Folk Religiosity’. Anvil, 2(1), 43-54.
• 'Symbolic Thought and Religious Knowledge'
  
  Davies, D. J. (1984). ’Symbolic Thought and Religious Knowledge’. British Journal of Religious Education, 7(2), 75-80.
• 'Evans‐Pritchard, structuralism, and anthropological hermeneutics'
  
  Davies, D. J. (1983). ’Evans‐Pritchard, structuralism, and anthropological hermeneutics’. [formerly the Journal of Renaissance and Modern Studies], 27(1), 85-101.
• 'Sacrifice in Theology and Anthropology'
  
  Davies, D. J. (1982). ’Sacrifice in Theology and Anthropology’. Scottish Journal of Theology, 35(4), 351-358. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0036930600017105
• 'Anglican Sectarianism: Rethinking the Dynamics of Religion'
  
  Davies, D. J. (1981). ’Anglican Sectarianism: Rethinking the Dynamics of Religion’. Modern Churchman, 95(2), 139-149.
• 'The Notion of Salvation in the Comparative Study of Religions'
  
  Davies, D. J. (1978). ’The Notion of Salvation in the Comparative Study of Religions’. Religion, 8(1), 85-100.
• 'Social Groups, Liturgy, and Glossolalia'
  
  Davies, D. J. (1976). ’Social Groups, Liturgy, and Glossolalia’. Modern Churchman, 90(3), 193-205.

Monograph

• Frank Byron Jevons, 1858-1936: An Evolutionary Realist
  
  Davies, D. J. (1991). Frank Byron Jevons, 1858-1936: An Evolutionary Realist. The Edwin Mellen Press.
• Cremation Today and Tomorrow
  
  Davies, D. J. (1990). Cremation Today and Tomorrow. Grove Books Ltd.
• Meaning and Salvation in Religious Studies
  
  Davies, D. J. (1984). Meaning and Salvation in Religious Studies. Brill.

Report

• British Crematorium Managers & COVID-19
  
  Davies, D. J., & Robinson, G. (2024). British Crematorium Managers & COVID-19. The Cremation Society.
• Reusing Old Graves: A Report on Popular British Attitudes
  
  Davies, D. J., & Shaw, A. (1995). Reusing Old Graves: A Report on Popular British Attitudes. Shaw and Sons.
• British Crematoria in Public Profile
  
  Davies, D. J. (1995). British Crematoria in Public Profile. The Cremation Society.