The Mirth of Nations » (Reprint)

Davies (sociology, U. of Reading, UK) examines the social implications of ethnic jokes, based on his research in Japan, the US, Scotland, and Canada. Jokes about Jews, Poles, Newfoundlanders, and Scots are analyzed with consideration to the narrator and audience. Davies disagrees with earlier theories that suggest ethnic jokes are an expression of aggression, arguing for the presence instead of the ethnic group's own self-analysis of the conflicts inherent in its religious and cultural mores. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

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Davies (sociology, U. of Reading, UK) examines the social implications of ethnic jokes, based on his research in Japan, the US, Scotland, and Canada. Jokes about Jews, Poles, Newfoundlanders, and Scots are analyzed with consideration to the narrator and audience. Davies disagrees with earlier theories that suggest ethnic jokes are an expression of aggression, arguing for the presence instead of the ethnic group's own self-analysis of the conflicts inherent in its religious and cultural mores. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)