Taking Stand-Up Seriously

Comedy as a Site for Imagining Decolonial Futures

Datos Bibliográficos

ID2292169
AutoresOskar Primbs (Sociology, Gender Studies and Criminology Department University of Otago), M C Dawson (0000-0003-4534-4002, Sociology, Gender Studies and Criminology Department University of Otago, autor de correspondencia)
Año2024
Volumen94
Número4
Páginas873-889
Fecha de publicación2024-11-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaSociological Inquiry (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0038-0245 • E-ISSN: 1475-682X
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/soin.12585
OpenAlexW4388851090
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas4
Referencias citadas30

Stand-up comedy is a rich arena of sociological inquiry that enables social actors to utter bold truths in a way that educates rather than offends. As such, stand-up comedy can inform conversations around potentially 'thorny' issues like racial inequality. This article draws on primary qualitative content analysis of the work of Kura Forrester, a female, Indigenous comedian in Aotearoa New Zealand, to illustrate the potential of comedians and the medium of stand-up comedy as agents of change. We employ the concepts 'parrhesia,' 'critical public pedagogy,' and 'prefiguration' to argue that stand-up comedy provides a valuable opportunity to challenge racist stereotypes, encourage critical reflection on 'race-thinking,' and imagine out loud what an alternative, decolonial future in Aotearoa New Zealand might entail

Aesthetics · Aotearoa · Art · Comedy · Critical race theory · Futures contract · Indigenous · Media studies · Race (biology · Sociology · Visual arts · Communication in Education and Healthcare · Critical Race Theory in Education · Gender Studies · Humor Studies and Applications