Humour in Political Activism

This book analyses how humour in political activism contributes to facilitating outreach, mobilisation and the sustaining of cultures of resistance. Drawing on examples of attention-grabbing stunts from around the world, Humour in Political Activism demonstrates how they succeed in turning relations of power upside down. The ambiguity and unpredictability of humour, Sørensen argues, makes it difficult to respond to this form of political activism when it is performed in public. Humorous political stunts can therefore challenge state power, help influence changes in law and make significant contributions to the conversations about how societies should be organised. The book also investigates the potential risks and limitations of using humour in nonviolent action and what makes humour unique compared with other forms of non-humorous political activism.

unique data and breaks new theoretical ground regarding humour and political Confronts the orthodox view within humour studies that political humour 'does not really make a difference' Uses unique case studies

Autorentext

Majken Jul Sørensen is an Honorary Post-Doctoral Research Associate at the University of Wollongong, Australia. She has published on nonviolent resistance, social movements, humorous political activism, peaceful societies and female conscientious objectors.

Zusammenfassung
The book also investigates the potential risks and limitations of using humour in nonviolent action and what makes humour unique compared with other forms of non-humorous political activism.

Inhalt

Introduction.- 1. Humour and Pockets of Resistance.- 2. Humorous Political Stunts from around the World.- 3. Facilitating Outreach, Mobilisation and a Culture of Resistance.- 4. Confronting the State through Humorous Political Activism.- 5. Dilemmas and Risks in Humorous Political Activism.- 6. Humorous Political Stunts and a Theory of Nonviolent Action.- Conclusion