Laughter as Politics: Critical Theory in an Age of Hilarity

Description

Explores the role that laughter plays in constructing, preserving and transforming contemporary social and political lifeProvides the first full-length study of the politics of laughterRejects the traditional, normative question of whether laughter should play a role in politics in favour of a new, critical question of how laughter operates politically Advances a critical theory of laughter that challenges the conventional wisdom that laughter is a naturally emancipatory experience Critically re-reads the accounts of laughter offered by Thomas Hobbes, Theodor Adorno, Ralph Ellison and feminist and queer theorists such as Hélène Cixous and Judith ButlerDemonstrates the contemporary relevance of these theoretical accounts through analyses of recent events of laughter including the 2010 Jon Stewart Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear"; Jordan Peele’s 2017 film Get Out; and Hannah Gadsby’s 2018 Netflix special NanetteOffers the theoretical resources to make sense of the political stakes and possibilities of the present Age of Hilarity