Affiliation:
1. Sociology, Gender Studies and Criminology Department University of Otago
2. Department of Sociology University of Johannesburg
Abstract
Stand‐up comedy is a rich arena of sociological inquiry that enables social actors to utter bold truths in a way that educates rather than offends. As such, stand‐up comedy can inform conversations around potentially “thorny” issues like racial inequality. This article draws on primary qualitative content analysis of the work of Kura Forrester, a female, Indigenous comedian in Aotearoa New Zealand, to illustrate the potential of comedians and the medium of stand‐up comedy as agents of change. We employ the concepts “parrhesia,” “critical public pedagogy,” and “prefiguration” to argue that stand‐up comedy provides a valuable opportunity to challenge racist stereotypes, encourage critical reflection on “race‐thinking,” and imagine out loud what an alternative, decolonial future in Aotearoa New Zealand might entail.
Subject
Sociology and Political Science
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