Studies in Political Humour
In between political critique and public entertainment
Democritus University of Thrace, Greece / Dunarea de Jos University of Galati, Romania
If politics is a serious matter and humour a funny one, this volume investigates how and why the boundaries between the two are blurred: politics can be represented in a humorous manner and humour can have a serious intent. Political humour conveys criticism against the political status quo and/or recycles and reinforces dominant views on politics. The data analysed comes from European states with different sociopolitical histories and traditions and the methodologies adopted originate in different fields (discourse analysis, folklore and cultural studies, media studies, sociolinguistics, sociology, theatre semiotics). The first part of the volume is dedicated to politicians’ humour as a means of public positioning, deliberation, and eventually attack against political adversaries, while the second one involves political satire as realised in different genres: animation, impersonation, and cartoons. Last but not least, the third part shows how political humour can be manipulated in public debates or become an integral part of postmodern art.
[Discourse Approaches to Politics, Society and Culture, 46]
2011.
x, 290 pp.
Publishing status: Available
Hardbound – Available
ISBN
9789027206374
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EUR
95.00
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USD
143.00
e-Book – Sold by e-book platforms
ISBN
9789027282217
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EUR
95.00
|
USD
143.00
Table of Contents
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Acknowledgements
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vii
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List of tables and figures
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ix–x
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1–30
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Part I. Humour by politicians
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33–59
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61–81
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83–107
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109–133
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Part II. Political humour in the media
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137–165
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167–189
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191–213
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Part III. Public debates and political humour
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217–241
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243–270
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271–278
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Contributors
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279–282
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Name index
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283–286
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Subject index
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287–290
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Quotes
“This interesting collection of essays by scholars from Romania, Poland, Estonia, Greece, Switzerland and England is a significant contribution to the study of the uses of humour within politics in several European countries, including Germany and Italy. [...] Studies in Political Humour is an excellent and wide-ranging volume that should enjoy a place on the bookshelves of both humour scholars and political scientists.”
Christie Davies, University of Reading, in Israeli Journal of Humor Research, 1(1), 2012
“As a survey of humour in a relatively geographically contained though culturally diverse area, this book functions as a solid starting point from which to launch into the world of political humour research.,”
Jay M. Woodhams, Victoria University of Wellington, in Language in Society 42 (2013)
“A praiseworthy feature of the volume lies in its strong editorship. [...] 'Studies in Political Humour' is a volume which scholars working on political discourse, humour theory, and the interface of the two will find valuable. It considers humour (broadly defined) from a wide range of perspectives and this may inspire readers to look to other disciplines when carrying out further work on such topics.”
James Murphy, University of Manchester, on Linguist List, 23.1425
Subjects
Benjamins Subject classification
Communication Studies
Linguistics
BIC Subject
CFG: Semantics, Pragmatics, Discourse Analysis
BISAC Subject
LAN009000: LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Linguistics
U.S. Library of Congress Control Number: 2011037699