Dados Bibliográficos

Resumo

Moving beyond the truism that laughter is the best medicine, this article integrates multiple linguistic anthropological models of humor to theorize why joking is so often used to address issues at or beyond the boundaries of what is considered acceptable to talk about in most other contexts. The article analyzes joking about HIV among members of a Zulu gospel choir who are living with HIV/AIDS in South Africa, identifying the precise linguistic features that choir members used in dealing with stigma by means of joking interactions. Three properties of joking about HIV are discussed, and it is suggested that these properties may operate cross‐culturally in other genres of humor in which individuals approach topics that are shameful, embarrassing, upsetting or taboo. Utilizing anthropological perspectives on genre, poetics, and play, this article discusses linguistic properties of joking that make it ideal for constructing and contesting support amid stigma. [humor, stigma, verbal art, joking, HIV/AIDS in South Africa]

Referências Citadas