Humour as Cultural Capital in Transitions

Humour has been described as a discursive resource that helps people cope with difficult situations. During cultural transitions, migrants face many challenges at different sociocultural levels, for instance, in the ways they make sense of the migration process and integrate into new workplace contexts. This chapter draws on literature from positive psychology, sociolinguistics and cultural studies to reflect on the value of humour as a positive cultural capital that helps migrant workers cope (discursively and psychologically) with social and job stressors. To illustrate this discussion, I draw on data collected from nineteen migrant doctors of public healthcare institutions in central and northern regions of Chile, involving research interviews where participants reflected on the role of humour in the migration experience and workplace routines. Interestingly, during the interviews, participants not only reflected on the role of humour but also employed humour for interactional purposes. This chapter then discusses how humour is both perceived and used in actual talk when reflecting on cultural transitions.