Synopses & Reviews
Humor in contemporary culture is generally celebrated as a public good, yet at times is felt to produce misunderstanding and even hatred. Now available in paperback, this collection explores the ethics and aesthetics of humor, in everyday life and in media comedy. An updated introduction looks at the implications of the Brand/Ross controversy.
Review
'We all enjoy a good joke but we seldom take humour seriously, examining its role in expressing our anxieties and attitudes to life. This collection of essays, skilfully put together by Sharon Lockyer and Michael Pickering, will not dampen your spirits but cause you to "stop and think" about the place of the joke - and humour generally - in contemporary society.' - Geoff Lealand, Associate Professor of Screen and Media Studies, University of Waikato, New Zealand
'Beyond A Joke is a timely reminder that cultural analysis can illuminate how the best and worst comedy find their mark on the faultlines of society. This superb collection of essays is indispensable for understanding why debates about humour are central to the politics of public expression.' - Simon Cross, Lecturer in Communication, Culture & Media, Nottingham Trent University, UK
This is a serious book about a serious and important topic. Jokes must be permitted in order to be funny - but are all jokes permissible? What about violently racist jokes, or subtle sexism in television sitcoms? The contributors to this volume explore the ethics of humour, from Sex and the City to the Alf Garnett syndrome. They reject the just a joke excuse for the dodge that it is, but humour gets its own back by refusing to be pinned down with easy answers. Moira Smith, editor of the Journal of Folklore Research
Synopsis
Humour is pervasive in contemporary culture, and is generally celebrated as a public good. Yet there are times when it is felt to produce intolerance, misunderstanding or even hatred. This book brings together, for the first time, contributions that consider the ethics as well as the aesthetics of humour. The book focuses on the abuses and limits of humour, some of which excite considerable social tension and controversy. Beyond a Joke is an exciting intervention, full of challenging questions and issues.
Synopsis
An insightful examination of the ethics of humour across a wide range of media, focusing on humour's abuses and limits, some of which excite considerable social tension and controversy
About the Author
SHARON LOCKYER is Lecturer in Sociology and Communications at Brunel University, UK. She has written on the ethics of humour and was the recipient of the International Society for Humor Studies Emerging Scholar Award 2004.
MICHAEL PICKERING is Professor of Media and Cultural Analysis at Loughborough University, UK. His most recent publications include History, Experience and Cultural Studies (1997), Stereotyping: The Politics of Representation (2001), Creativity, Communication and Cultural Value (2004, with Keith Negus), Blackface Minstrelsy in Britain (2008) and Research Methods for Cultural Studies (2008).
Table of Contents
Notes on Contributors * Introduction: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Humour and Comedy--
S.Lockyer&
M.Pickering * Violent Racist Jokes;
M.Billig * Race and Ethnicity in Popular Humour--
D.Howitt &--
K.Owusu-Bempah * Humour and the Conduct of Politics--
J.Morreall * Parody and Decorum: Permission to Mock--
J.Palmer * Breaking the Mould: Conversations with Omid Djalili and Shazia Mirza--
S.Lockyer&--
M.Pickering * Merry Hell: Humour Competence and Social Incompetence--
K.Willis * Privacy, Embarrassment and Social Power: British Sitcom--
F.Gray * Comedies of Sexual Morality and Female Singlehood--D.Chambers * The Ambiguities of Comic Impersonation--M.Pickering &--S.Lockyer * Bibliography * Index