Elliott Oring (born 20 April 1945) is an American author of academic books primarily relating to the topics of folklore, humor, and cultural symbolism. [1] Oring is Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at California State University, Los Angeles, was editor of Western Folklore (1976-1978), and serves on the Editorial Boards of Humor: International Journal of Humor Research . [2] [3] and Journal of Folklore Research. In 2010-2011 he served as President of the International Society for Humor Studies.