‘Stalag Happy’: South African Prisoners of War during World War Two (1939–1945) and their Experience and Use of Humour

Abstract

South African prisoner-of-war (POW) experience, a much neglected subject in World War Two texts, is analysed in this article in terms of the experience and use of humour. Experience of humour as a means of coping during captivity reflected captives' humour identity at the time of the war; however, when interviewed, this coping mechanism is adapted to facilitate dual perspective, one of the many strategies interviewees use to smooth the progress of the interview and help with recall of often painful memories. A search for aspects unique to South African POWs concludes that humour was a universal coping and morale boosting mechanism in the war as well as during interviews.

Geopolitics of Humour and Development in Nepal and Afghanistan

“…This includes dark or "gallows" humour, which can be a survival technique during situations of precarity and perilous political power (Davies, 2001;Obrdlik, 1942). For example, research on political prisoners and prisoners of war identify humour as a common copying strategy and a method of defiance to ongoing oppression (Henman, 2001;Horn, 2011;Mehta, 2012;Ostrower, 2015). Cameron (2015) identifies self-deprecating humor as both a persuasive and ethical method for calling attention to serious issues such as abusive power and inequality.…”