Abstract
The manifold functions of humor to generate relief, superiority and incongruity have been extensively studied. Building on this, the article is dedicated to exploring the role of humor as a means of nonviolent resistance. In a case study on Syria, it traces the evolution of the forms and functions of humorous production, following the stages of Bakhtin’s medieval carnival: from the pre-revolutionary “gallows humor”, over increasingly biting attacks against the Assad regime after the 2011 uprising, to the symbolic “de-crowning of the dictator”. Examples of cartoons, songs and sketches illustrate the role of humor as a resistance tool, across the four dimensions of non-violence by Vinthagen: dialogue facilitation, power breaking, normative regulation and utopian enactment. Despite the escalation and looming failure of the Syrian uprising, the article finds that humor has maintained its importance as a means of nonviolent resistance.
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