Research Catalog

Title

Humor & nonviolent struggle in Serbia / Janjira Sombatpoonsiri.

Author

Čhančhirā Sombatphūnsiri.

Publication

Syracuse, New York : Syracuse University Press, 2015.

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Holdings

Details

Description

xvi, 264 pages; 24 cm.

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.

Series Statement

Syracuse studies on peace and conflict resolution

Uniform Title

Syracuse studies on peace and conflict resolution.

Alternative Title

Humor and nonviolent struggle in Serbia

Subject

• Milošević, Slobodan, 1941-2006
• Otpor (Organization : Serbia) > History
• Protest movements > Serbia > History
• Student movements > Serbia > History
• Wit and humor > History. > Serbia
• Nonviolence > History. > Serbia
• Political activists > Serbia > History
• Government, Resistance to > Serbia > History
• Serbia > Politics and government > 1992-2006

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references and index.

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.

ISBN

• 9780815634072
• 0815634072
• 9780815653400 (canceled/invalid)

LCCN

• 2015024120
• 40025414428

OCLC

• ocn913164320
• 913164320
• SCSB-5829381

Owning Institutions

Columbia University Libraries