Abstract
This chapter lays a theoretical foundation for this book. The Politics of Laughter in the Social Media Age: Perspectives from the Global South focuses on the politics of ridicule, humour and laughter in the Global South. There are many different contexts in the Global South where humour has been used by ordinary citizens targeted at exposing the follies of those in power and the consequences have been devastating. Ridicule and humour, while making people laugh and at times grasp their conditions of existence or even pushing them to make alterations, has been one of the accessible ways for coping or bringing about change in society. Focus on the Global South is brought about by an appetite to explore humour and its uses in some unique and yet complex systems of governance, social configurations and political communication. Thus, Global South scholars should be given a chance to tap from the intellectual traditions and cultures of their region and bring forth understandings and analyses of people’s lived experiences. This chapter contends that digital media could be powerful platforms for the marginalised, spaces to share humourous moments about life and politics or could weapons of the weak in complex relationships between politics, politicians, challenges and citizens.
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Mpofu, S. (2021). Ridicule and Humour in the Global South: Theorizing Politics of Laughter in the Social Media Age. In: Mpofu, S. (eds) The Politics of Laughter in the Social Media Age. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81969-9_1
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