Compressing Scales: Characters and Situations in Egyptian Internet Humor
Accepted version
Peer-reviewed
Repository URI
Repository DOI
Change log
Authors
El Khachab, Chihab https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4113-1424
Abstract
This article examines common political assumptions made in Egyptian internet comics, mainstream television discourse, and everyday conversation in Cairo. These assumptions compress local, national, and global scales of analysis into a manageable set of characters (e.g., the President, the People) interacting in everyday situations. Arguing against psychological interpretations, the article highlights the social and historical context within which humor is ‘entextualized’ on par with television and everyday discourse, based on an analysis of a selection of Egyptian internet comics, television moments, and political talk in Cairo between 2013 and 2015.
Description
Keywords
4701 Communication and Media Studies, 36 Creative Arts and Writing, 44 Human Society, 47 Language, Communication and Culture, 3605 Screen and Digital Media
Journal Title
Middle East Critique
Conference Name
Journal ISSN
1943-6149
1943-6157
1943-6157
Volume Title
26
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Publisher DOI
Rights
All rights reserved
Sponsorship
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Doctoral Award
School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography (SAME) Grant, University of Oxford