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This delightful book tackles the prevailing assumption that laughter and humour are inherently good. In developing a critique of humour the author proposes a social theory that places humour - in the form of ridicule - as central to social life. Billig argues that all cultures use ridicule as a disciplinary means to uphold norms of conduct and conventions of meaning.
Historically, theories of humour reflect wider visions of politics, morality and aesthetics. For example, Bergson argued that humour contains an element of cruelty while Freud suggested that we deceive ourselves about the true nature of our laughter. Billig discusses these and other theories, while using the topic of humour to throw light on the perennial social problems of regulation, control and emancipation.
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"
This delightful book tackles the prevailing assumption that laughter and humour are inherently good. In developing a critique of humour the author proposes a social theory that places humour - in the form of ridicule - as central to social life. Billig argues that all cultures use ridicule as a disciplinary means to uphold norms of conduct and conventions of meaning.
Historically, theories of humour reflect wider visions of politics, morality and aesthetics. For example, Bergson argued that humour contains an element of cruelty while Freud suggested that we deceive ourselves about the true nature of our laughter. Billig discusses these and other theories, while using the topic of humour to throw light on the perennial social problems of regulation, control and emancipation.
Imprint | Sage Publications Ltd |
Country of origin | United States |
Series | Published in association with Theory, Culture & Society |
Release date | July 2005 |
Availability | Expected to ship within 12 - 17 working days |
First published | 2005 |
Authors | Michael Billig |
Dimensions | 234 x 156 x 16mm (L x W x T) |
Format | Paperback |
Pages | 264 |
ISBN-13 | 978-1-4129-1143-6 |
Barcode | 9781412911436 |
Categories | |
LSN | 1-4129-1143-5 |