Humor as Social Critique

This interdisciplinary collection examines how humor operates as a sophisticated political tool within African contexts, bringing together insights from across the humanities to analyze comedy's power in navigating complex social landscapes. The book explores how African comedians, writers, and artists strategically deploy humor as social critique, particularly in its relationship with political commentary and resistance. Through its focused examination of humor as political critique, this work demonstrates how laughter becomes a vehicle for challenging authority and questioning social norms.

What distinguishes this collection is its specific focus on widening African perspectives on humor, offering fresh analytical frameworks that move beyond Western-centric theories of comedy. Readers interested in political science, cultural studies, and African studies will find compelling case studies of how humor functions as both social commentary and survival mechanism in various African contexts. The interdisciplinary approach provides multidimensional insights into how marginalized communities weaponize laughter as a form of cultural resistance and political expression.