Humor, love, and universalism
A “happy ending” for undocumented migrants in Samba (2014)
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 18970528 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Siham Bouamer (0009-0006-3387-6262, University of Cincinnati, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 47 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 443-466 |
| Publication date | 2022-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Contemporary French Civilization (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0147-9156 • E-ISSN: 2044-396X |
| Publisher | Liverpool University Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.3828/cfc.2022.25 |
| OpenAlex | W4320030904 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 10 |
In this article, I examine Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano’s 2014 Samba in order to question the film’s happy ending. In particular, I explore the problematic use of humor and love to discuss the struggles of undocumented migrants. Drawing on Sara Ahmed’s analysis of the politics of emotions, I argue that these two affective orientations, presented in the film as effective ways to bring people together, in fact further marginalize the sans-papiers. Through an evaluation of l’humour universaliste and l’amour universaliste, which I define as humor and love envisioned as collective experiences that deny racial and sociocultural differences, I show that the film objectifies undocumented migrants and depoliticizes the roots of their oppression
Humanities · Sociology · Caribbean and African Literature and Culture · Migration, Refugees, and Integration · North African History and Literature · Philosophy
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |