This book argues that recent developments in contemporary comedy have changed not just the way we laugh but the way we understand the world. Drawing on a range

The period between the First World War and the fall of the Berlin Wall is often characterized as the age of extremes--while this era witnessed unprecedented vio

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 live

A compelling guide to the fundamental place of humour and comedy within Western culture—by one of its greatest exponents Written by an acknowledged master of

If politics is a serious matter and humour a funny one, this volume investigates how and why the boundaries between the two are blurred: politics can be represe