A comedian and an activist walk into a bar : the serious role of comedy in social justice / Caty Borum Chattoo and Lauren Feldman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Borum Chattoo, Caty, author.

Feldman, Lauren, 1977- author.

Series:

Communication for social justice activism ; 1.

Communication for social justice activism ; 1

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Comedy--Political aspects--United States.

Comedy.

Social justice--United States.

Social justice.

Comedy--Political aspects.

United States.

Mass media--Political aspects--United States.

Mass media.

Mass media--Political aspects.

Physical Description:

xvi, 278 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Oakland, California : University of California Press, [2020]

Summary:

"The contemporary intersection of comedy and social justice is embodied in the voices of comedians who are saying something serious about the world they inhabit while they make us laugh. But it also resides in the actions of social justice advocates who embrace comedy's artistic ability to grab and hold attention, to persuade and mobilize, to focus a critical lens on injustice, to humanize, and to allow optimism into seemingly hopeless social problems. Through rich case studies, audience research, and interviews with comedians and social justice leaders and strategists, A Comedian and an Activist Walk into a Bar: The Serious Role of Comedy in Social Justice explains how comedy--both in the entertainment marketplace and leveraged as cultural strategy--can engage audiences with issues such as global poverty, climate change, immigration, and sexual assault, and how activists work with comedy to reach and empower publics in the networked, participatory digital media age"--Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Introduction

Why comedy, and why now?

How comedy works as a change agent

From stand-up to sitcoms : socially critical comedy across genres

Can laughter help save the planet? comedy's role in communicating about climate change

Beyond poverty porn : how comedy re-frames poverty and engages publics

Comedians' perspectives on the intersections of art and activism

Creative collaborations : how comedians and social justice advocates work together

Imagining the future of comedy's role in social justice.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Borum Chattoo, Caty. A comedian and an activist walk into a bar

ISBN:

9780520299771

0520299779

9780520299764

0520299760

OCLC:

1145038675