Resisting tyranny with laughter

Abstract

This chapter probes the reasons behind the recent Arab protests’ embrace of the Joker as a symbol of resistance. By aligning Joker (2019) with the recent political unrest in the Arab world, this chapter contributes to the study of Arab and global political humour. We analyse the employment of humour as a tool of international solidarity through the specific Arab reappropriation of an American artistic symbol: the Joker. Marked with a strong emphasis on the use of humour as a means of resistance and subversion, the recent protests in Iraq, Lebanon, and Algeria interpreted the characterization of Arthur Fleck, in Todd Philips’ Joker, as a symbol of vulnerability and power. We argue that the adoption of peaceful means of protest, specifically the use of humour by Algerian protestors, echoes Joker’s employment of laughter as a mask that hides trauma, pain, and violence. Moreover, we suggest that the appearance of the Joker in the Arab streets serves as a cautionary, unifying, and empowering performance. Beneath the veneer of humour and laughter, protestors engage in a form of self-repression while challenging authoritarian regimes. Therefore, dissent, masked with humour, thwarts the repetition of past mistakes that calumniated in a descent into violence.