I first met Brian in 1976, as a Masters student studying Sociology of Education at the Institute of Education, London University. They were heady days for the Sociology of Education in the UK. And as a raw, awe struck, school bruised Welsh boy, devoid of the confidences which all others around me seemed to enjoy, Brian took me protectively under his wing. He was ever generous in his support. As well as introducing me to the merits of sociology and supervising my Masters dissertation, he taught me much else about the joys and pitfalls of working and drinking (too much) in London. Later, I moved with Brian to Kings College, Chelsea campus London as his PhD student and Research Assistant to work alongside Peter Corbishley and Catherine Kenrick on his ESRC supported research addressing grouping policies in secondary schools. They were exciting times, as full of scholarship, argument, radical, new, challenging ideas and perspectives as they were of hope, aspiration and fun. And maybe because of our shared Welsh valley heritage, our love of sport (Brian’s far deeper and wider than mine) and passion for righting wrongs in Education (mostly as they were played out in secondary schools), we forged a working relationship and friendship that was to remain unchecked for forty and more years. But we were unequal partners. Brian the intellect of immense stature, a brilliant writer, witty, insightful, deeply curious about people, processes, places and life generally, me a mere academic jobber. Together, we were consumed with issues of ‘ability’; how it was recognised, configured and consolidated through the organisational processes of schooling (mixed ability, setting, etc) and its relationships to social class. Schools, Brian colourfully argued and repeatedly showed in his research, always and inevitably sieved and sorted children relentlessly (sometimes ruthlessly), in the UK as elsewhere, in ways that were deeply iniquitous and deleterious to working-class lives. Later we became equally concerned to document how definitions and differences in ‘ability’ were being reconfigured, reshaped and redefined by media messages about body size, shape and weight. And when recycled uncritically through the curricula of physical education, sport and health and other processes of schooling, were literally embodied in ways deeply damaging to children, especially middle-class girls and working-class youth. Via this and earlier work, Brian became as well-known and respected a figure in the sociology of Physical Education, sport and health as he was in mainstream sociology of education. He helped set the standards and agendas for research and writing on critical pedagogy and the sociology of Physical Education, sport and health internationally. And although he was never one for eschewing eclectic commitments to social theory, his love, understanding and articulation of Basil Bernstein’s complex work was a constant source of admiration and inspiration to many.
Brian of course will be properly remembered for his work on organisational theory, his many articles, books, papers and lectures each packed with insight and humour, written and delivered in inimitable Brian Davies style, unique contributions to the development of sociology of education in the UK and beyond. He advanced understandings of the relationships between social class and education, simultaneously guiding many to the incredible richness of the theoretical work of Basil Bernstein, his one-time dear friend and colleague at the Institute of Education. And as a founding member of the journal Sport, Education and Society Advisory board he was instrumental in defining the fields of Sociology and Physical Education, sport and health internationally, inspiring countless students and teachers to consider sociology and educational theory as means of better understanding their work and its social consequences for the populations they served. He remained the journals greatest supporter and source of advice throughout his life.
But for all his great scholarship and contribution to knowledge, it was Brian’s warmth, humanity, humility and generosity that set him apart and which endeared him to so many people within and outside academia, young and old alike. Brian simply had no edge. He was Welsh/Wenglish and internationalist to the core; to him status and title mattered not one jot. He helped and supported countless numbers of students with their dissertations and research, patiently and meticulously guiding them on their way to become better professionals, better researchers, teachers, policy makers, wherever and in whatever their chosen field. Many remained life-long friends. I for one owed him everything. Brian was unique, a gem, he personified all that was good and important in life, family, friends, community and he spent his academic life pursuing a fairer more equitable, just, education system and society. He also made the best gin and tonic anywhere in Wales, quite possibly the world!
Brian, diolch am bopeth a wnaethoch ac a gyflawnwyd gennych. (Thank you for all you did and achieved).