Humor and satire in politics: Introducing cultural sociology to the field

Abstract

The landscape of political humor and satire is changing rapidly, and it is becoming an increasingly relevant aspect of our culture. Although scholars have been actively trying to capture this change, majority of the existing frameworks for understanding humor and satire in politics still reduce these phenomena to mere genres or rhetoric tools. In addition, they provide insufficient accounts concerning the reception of humor and satire, and neglect to interpret and explain what they communicate. In the article, a general understanding of humor and satire outside of a political context, followed by an overview of studies discussing humor and satire in politics through their applications in social movements, as leadership tools, and through their manifestations in mass media has been presented. Lastly, a cultural sociological perspective to the field has been introduced. It has been argued that approaching humor and satire in politics through a structural hermeneutic method of the Strong Program will enable us to recognize and treat political humor and satire as autonomous and complex cultural systems which carry an internal power to move people.

Dissecting the types and functions of religious humor in Nasreddin Hoja short-stories

“…It highlights the underlying cultural principles and provides them for critique (Martin, 2006). This critique presents societal interpretations and questions regarding contemporary cultural practices using the cultural sociology approach (Tesnohlidkova, 2021). Satire includes comedy that emphasizes race relations, sexual discrimination, and nonspecific popular culture depictions.…”

Siyasetin Mizahı: Amerikan Yardımlarının “Nuhun Gemisi” Dergisinde Ele Alınış Biçiminin İncelenişi

“…Mizah, aynı zamanda politikacılar tarafından da sıklıkla kullanılır. Dolayısıyla siyasi mizah, siyasi alanın içerisinde varlık gösteren bir olgudur (Tesnohlidkova, 2020). Ancak bu noktada siyasi mizahın çerçeve bir kavram olduğunun da unutulmaması gerekmektedir.…”

Wacana Humor Pada Tagar #Matanajwamenantiterawan Di Twitter

“…Bahkan satire atau satir didefinisikan berbeda-beda di beberapa sumber. Satire merupakan salah satu dari genre humor, walaupun tidak selalu memproduksi hasil dari humor, namun tujuan utamanya adalah mengungkap kegagalan seseorang, institusi atau masyarakat dengan mengeksposnya dengan cara yang olokan dan cemoohan, namun membawa nilai moral (Tesnohlidkova, 2021). Konteks yang biasa digunakan dalam satir adalah politik kontemporer dan isu-isu aktuil lainnya.…”