Humor and Politics: A Conceptual Introduction

This introductory chapter details the goals of the book, defines the scope of political humorPolitical humor and the rhetorical tools through which this humor is circulated verbally, also presenting a brief theoretical approach guiding the subsequent chapters. This is followed by three sections addressing key aspects in the study and analysis of political humorPolitical humor, considered among the different contributions: First, that humoristic expressions related to politics can be employed for good and bad purposes, illustrated by a discussion of the role played by stereotypesStereotypes and prejudicePrejudice in creating ethno-national humorEthno-national humor; second, that members of the public, the political elite, and the media employ humorous expressions in politics while using different means for different goals; third, humor about political matters is a highly contextual and subjective phenomenon that can be perceived differently by individuals, with different cultures shaping the content, nature, and characteristics of such humor. The chapter suggests that knowledge of political humorPolitical humor contributes to a better understanding of political rhetoric, information processing and organization, attitude formation and change, persuasion, and political engagement.