Humour and the Performance of Power in South Asia : Anxiety, Laughter and Politics in Unstable Times

This book critically examines the role and politics of humour and the performance of power in South Asia. What does humour do and how does it manifest when lived political circumstances experience ruptures or instability? Can humour that emerges in such circumstances be viewed as a specific narrative on the nature of democracy in the region? Drawing upon essays from India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, this volume discusses many crucial historical and contemporary themes, including dance-drama performances in northern India; caste and stand-up comedy in India; cartoon narratives of citizens⁰́₉ anxieties; civic participation through social media memes in Sri Lanka; media, politics and humorous public in Bangladesh; the politics of performance in India; and the influence of humour and satire as political commentaries. The volume explores the impact of humour in South Asian folklore, ritual performances, media and journalism, and online technologies. This topical and interdisciplinary book will be essential for scholars and researchers of cultural studies, political science, sociology and social anthropology, media and communication studies, theatre and performance studies, and South Asian studies. This book critically examines the role and politics of humour and the performance of power in South Asia. What does humour do and how does it manifest when lived political circumstances experience ruptures or instability? Can humour that emerges in such circumstances be viewed as a specific narrative on the nature of democracy in the region? Drawing upon essays from India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, this volume discusses many crucial historical and contemporary themes, including dance-drama performances in northern India; caste and stand-up comedy in India; cartoon narratives of citizens’ anxieties; civic participation through social media memes in Sri Lanka; media, politics and humorous public in Bangladesh; the politics of performance in India; and the influence of humour and satire as political commentaries. The volume explores the impact of humour in South Asian folklore, ritual performances, media and journalism, and online technologies. This topical and interdisciplinary book will be essential for scholars and researchers of cultural studies, political science, sociology and social anthropology, media and communication studies, theatre and performance studies, and South Asian studies. Cover Page 1 Half Title Page 2 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Contents Page 6 List of figures Page 8 Acknowledgements Page 10 List of contributors Page 12 1 Introduction: cultural politics of humour in South Asia 16 Part I Humour in literary and visual subversions 38 2 Colonial cartoons: Punch and vernacular Punch politics of humour in colonial India 40 3 Khattar Kaka’s subversive Hinduism: a case of literary-cultural politics of humour 60 Part II Folkloric worldviews: laughter as performed narratives 80 4 Tales from Assam’s tea gardens: when humour becomes resistance in the everyday life-world of labourers 82 5 Dramatic Haryanvi humour: a case of subversion in jakari and ragni 96 6 ‘A Sri Lankan Arrives in Hell’: a case of laughing at ‘Sri Lanka’ and the ‘Sri Lankan’ in a collection of modern folktales 110 Part III Mediated messages for laughing and thinking 120 7 Humour, criticality and the performance of anonymous power: internet memes as political commentaries in Sinhala society 122 8 Humorous masculinity: Nepali men in mediated Indian male gaze 154 9 Politics of performance and performance of politics: analysing stand-up comedy in the Indian context 171 10 Humorous public in Bangladesh: an analytical reading of mediated politics 193 Index 207 humour,and,politics,in,South,Asia;,humour,as,a,form,of,politics;,humour,and,anonymity;,shrinking,public,sphere;,democracy,in,South,Asia;,humour;,politics,of,humour;,performance,of,humour;,humour,as,resistance;,humour,as,weapons,of,the,weak;,South,Asia;,Internet,Memes;,humour,and,political,resistance;,humor;,stand,up,comedy,and,politics;,popular,culture,and,humour humour and politics in South Asia,humour as a form of politics,humour and anonymity,shrinking public sphere,democracy in South Asia,humour,politics of humour,performance of humour,humour as resistance,humour as weapons of the weak,South Asia,Internet Memes,humour and political resistance,humor,stand up comedy and politics,popular culture and humour This book critically examines the role and politics of humour and the performance of power in South Asia. What does humour do and how does it manifest when lived political circumstances experience ruptures or instability? Can humour that emerges in such circumstances be viewed as a specific narrative on the nature of democracy in the region? Drawing upon essays from India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, this volume discusses many crucial historical and contemporary themes, including dance-drama performances in northern India; caste and stand-up comedy in India; cartoon narratives of citizens0́9 anxieties; civic participation through social media memes in Sri Lanka; media, politics and humorous public in Bangladesh; the politics of performance in India; and the influence of humour and satire as political commentaries. The volume explores the impact of humour in South Asian folklore, ritual performances, media and journalism, and online technologies. This topical and interdisciplinary book will be essential for scholars and researchers of cultural studies, political science, sociology and social anthropology, media and communication studies, theatre and performance studies, and South Asian studies.