Humor & nonviolent struggle in Serbia / Janjira Sombatpoonsiri.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Čhančhirā Sombatphūnsiri, author.

Series:

Syracuse studies on peace and conflict resolution.

Syracuse Studies on Peace and Conflict Resolution

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Protest movements--Serbia--History.

Protest movements.

Otpor (Organization : Serbia)--History.

Otpor (Organization : Serbia).

Milošević, Slobodan, 1941-2006.

Milošević, Slobodan.

Serbia--Politics and government--1992-2006.

Serbia.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (286 p.)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Syracuse, New York : Syracuse University Press, 2015.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

"'If I had no sense of humor, I should long ago have committed suicide,' wrote the late Mahatma Gandhi, expressing the potent power of humor to sustain and uplift. Less obvious is humor's ability to operate as a cunning weapon in nonviolent protest movements. Over the last few decades, activists are increasingly incorporating subversive laughter in their protest repertoires, realizing the ways in which it challenges the ruling elite's propaganda, defuses antagonism, and inspires both participants and the greater population. In this highly original and engaging work, Sombatpoonsiri explores the nexus between humor and nonviolent protest, aiming to enhance our understanding of the growing popularity of humor in protest movements around the world. Drawing on insights from the pioneering Otpor activists in Serbia, she provides a detailed account of the protesters' systematic use of humor to topple Slobadan Milošević in 2000. Interviews with activists, protest newsletters, and documentaries of the movement combine to illustrate how humor played a pivotal role by reflecting the absurdity of the regime's propaganda and, in turn, by delegitimizing its authority. Sombatpoonsiri highlights the Otpor activists' ability to internationalize their nonviolent crusade, influencing youth movements in the Ukraine, Georgia, Iran, and Egypt. Globally, Otpor's successful use of humor became an inspiration for a later generation of protest movements"--From publisher's website.

Contents:

Part One. A history of the Serbian sense of humor

Laughing at the misery : Serbian comedic culture

Coming to the fore : humorous protest actions in Serbia in the early 1990s

Coming of age : carnivalesque protests

Part Two. Otpor and its subversive humor

Fighting Milošević with Otpor's clenched fist : the campaigns

Strategic humor : satirical street theater, parodic protest actions, and carnivalesque events

Localizing strategic humor : how Milošević was mocked across Serbia

Conclusion

Epilogue: Otpor's legacy

Appendix A: Research methodology and data collection

Appendix B: Chronology of nonviolent struggle in Serbia in the 1990s.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780815653400

0815653409

OCLC:

928978377