Translating humour: foreignness, punch-lies, and stereotypes in stand-up comedy from, to, and in Brazil

Through overall developments and movements, migration has spread throughout the world, causing concurrence and amalgamation of heterogeneous and culturally different societies. Present day societies are culturally even more diverse: individuals live in numerous cultures, speak in various languages, and have different identities. Despite the fact that the movement of Armenians previously existed in Antiquity and the Middle Ages, and Armenians have made numerous networks around the world, the considerable flow of relocation and the modern term of the Armenian Diaspora has developed because of the First World War after the Armenian Genocide in 1915, more explicitly, it comprises mostly individuals who survived the Armenian Genocide. The current research investigates the lives of the Armenian Diaspora in Germany, more specifically, the ones that have moved to Germany from Armenia, Iran, and Turkey. Studying the lives of the Armenian ethnic group in a host society, it discusses the issues of living in heterogeneous societies and cultures, the role that religion plays in the migration and integration context, affiliation and attachment to various cultures, hybrid cultural, religious and social identities: how Armenians perceive themselves and different societies in Germany, what it feels like to be away from their homeland and live in various cultures simultaneously, to what cultures they have a sense of belonging, how they endeavour to retain their ethnic, religious, and cultural identities, what assists them in the integration process, and how they assess their lives in Germany. The research applies three methods: participant observation, semi-structured interview and Stefan Huber’s questionnaire “The Centrality of Religiosity Scale”. Religion plays a vital role in most of the interviewees’ lives, depending on various circumstances, such as a spiritual nourishment, a psychological support, closeness to one’s ethnicity or ethnic group, access to the host society, etc. According to the current research results, the Armenian interviewees in Germany perceive religion as an inseparable part of their culture, since their religious, ethnic, and cultural identities are intertwined and regarded as an inseparable unit: religious identity – Christian, ethnic identity – Armenian, cultural identity – customs and traditions. Christianity is perceived and practiced by the Armenian interviewees as a ‘cultural religion’ for the following reasons. They consider themselves to be Christians, but are not actively engaged in religious rituals or prayers. Christianity played an important role in the history of Armenians since it helped them preserve their ethnic identity and culture throughout history. Christianity has become an inseparable part of their culture since many Armenian customs and traditions are tightly connected to it and play an important role in their ethnic, national, cultural and religious identities. Interestingly enough, even those, who consider themselves to be atheists, conceive Christianity as an indispensable part of the Armenian culture and identity.

This paper is a reflection on the points of convergence between live performance and the media within Indian stand-up comedy. Traditionally, live performance has been seen in opposition to the media. While the former is defined by spatial and temporal co-presence of the audience and spectators, the latter has neither (Auslander, 2012). While stand-up comedy is primarily live, digital and mass media are used extensively by comedians to build a professional reputation for themselves through their presence and participation on social media. However, after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, much of performance art – including stand-up comedy – has moved online. That is, comedians are experimenting with the online media: Zoom, Instagram Live, Facebook Live and so on, to put up live performances that would otherwise have been performed within a comedy club or café. This paper derives its theoretical basis from Philip Auslander’s postulation of liveness in a mediatised culture and digital liveness which ‘results from our conscious act of grasping virtual entities as live in response to the claims [technology makes] on us’ (2012: 13). The paper attempts a theoretical reflection on how to ‘read’ a stand-up comedy performance for pedagogical purposes in these different contexts as the idea of liveness, mediatisation and our experience of the live evolves with time and context.

Through an examination of a Midwestern professional comedy club, this article theorizes stand-up comedy as part of the broader affective-cultural assemblage that is nightlife entertainment. Using the Deleuzian notion of assemblage, this analysis builds on poststructural accounts of the dynamic and transient properties of culture, and the relationship between space, culture, and affect. As a specific affective-cultural assemblage, stand-up comedy operates as both constrainer and enabler of racial and heteronormative order through the bringing together of a variety of diverse logics and practices. I argue that stand-up comedy should no longer be thought of strictly in discursive or symbolic-interactionist terms that over-determine the roles of particular agents (i.e. comics). Instead, when described as emergent, transient, and fundamentally affective, stand-up comedy and other cultural forms can be seen for their openness and multiplicity, both contributing to racial and heteronormative order as well as upending it.

China’s strict censorship not only depoliticizes stand-up comedy but creates obstacles for feminist activities. With an experimental approach that compares comedy shows online and offline, this paper asks in which ways comedy and feminism can gesture the political critique and resistance around public culture. Based on seven-month participant observation in comedy clubs in mainland China, I analyze comments and criticism toward women stand-up comedians and offer textual analyses of comedians’ performances in a popular online variety show, Roast & Rock. Beginning with an issue that a woman professional comedian’s performances received laughter and applause offline but criticisms online, I reveal the twisted joking and laughing relationships in women’s stand-up comedy and in turn argue that the debates over “what is the proper women’s voice in public culture,” or what I call feminist reckoning, have become politicized feminist expression that is performed and embodied in-between online streaming and live club comedies. Revealing the (re)politicization of stand-up comedy, I envision possibilities that make feminist media practices visible in mainland China’s public culture.

This chapter develops an interactionist conceptual framework for the interpretation of identity shifts in the age of globalization. The cultural identity of the nobility disappeared in most European countries after the displacement of that social group with the emergence of new sociohistorical conditions. The research literature suggests five major constitutive features of cultural identity: temporality, territoriality, contrastivity, interactivity, and multiplicity. The chapter also develops a typological scheme for the classification of cultural communities into sensible and usable categories. From an interactional perspective, one may conceptualize globalization as an historically unique condition for the (re)construction and negotiation of cultural identities. Globalization introduces new territorialities and temporalities to cultural identification, which in turn influence the other three constitutive features of cultural identity, namely, contrastivity, interactivity, and multiplicity. The successful negotiation of identity requires recognition that interdependence (i.e., community) takes precedence over sovereignty.

This study explores the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in preserving cultural and ethnic identities among Chinese immigrants in the U.S. By focusing on the case study of Haley, a second-generation immigrant, the research investigates how digital platforms like WeChat, TikTok, and YouTube facilitate the preservation of cultural heritage and promote cultural inclusion. ICTs enable real-time communication with family, participation in cultural practices, and access to traditional resources, helping bridge generational and cultural gaps. The study highlights how these platforms support dual cultural environments, balancing cultural roots with adaptation to American society. Additionally, challenges such as digital access disparities and the marginalization of older generations are discussed. The findings emphasize the transformative impact of ICTs on identity formation and provide insights into the ongoing negotiation of cultural and ethnic identity in transnational contexts. This research contributes to the broader discourse on globalization, cultural continuity, and the evolving role of technology in shaping immigrant identities.

This study focuses on stand-up comedy in English at Rome’s Comedy Club and investigates how the comedians and the audience deal with humor based on stereotypes about Italians and foreigners living in Italy (e.g. culture shock, cultural differences and identity issues). Moreover, this article discusses how comedians and the audience interact (mostly in English and sometimes in Italian) and negotiate humor regarding sensitive topics. The data analysis demonstrates that the comedians consciously exploit the context and accommodate to the audience to guarantee a positive response. In turn, the audience’s sense of superiority is fulfilled by the comedian’s general disparagement (e.g. of others, celebrities) and self-disparagement (e.g. of comedians in general). Most importantly, the audience shows that it does not take audience-disparagement at face value.

ABSTRACTMagic and stand-up comedy have a lot in common. For example, when successful, both tend to elicit laughter, and many magicians regularly perform in comedy clubs. Nevertheless, the close relationship between magic and comedy is poorly understood. The goal of this article is to explore this relationship and to defend the thesis that magic is actually a form-arguably a limit case-of stand-up comedy. This requires first introducing definitions of both stand-up comedy and magic. The core argument then deploys one of today's best-developed philosophical theories of comic amusement to show that magic, when successful, is humorous. In this way, the article contributes to our understanding of both the emotional response to magic and the nature and scope of comedy. The article begins with an analysis of Steve Martin's 1968 TV debut on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, in which he performs a “socko-boffo comedy routine” that seamlessly integrates absurdist comedy with magic tricks.

The manifestation of ethnic identity in philosophy is a multifaceted subject that intersects with various academic disciplines and cultural discourses. Stock provides a specific example of this intersection by discussing the emergence of “ethnic minority philosophy” in China, which integrates ethnic and cultural identity into philosophical discourse. This discipline reflects the broader issues of national, ethnic, cultural, and philosophical identity, highlighting the role of “culture” in redefining minoritarian traditions as philosophy. Similarly, Siegel (notes the historical significance of philosophy of education and its potential to address vital philosophical questions, including those related to ethnic identity, suggesting a need for philosophy to reconnect with its broader applications, potentially including the exploration of ethnic identity. Contradictions or interesting facts emerge when considering the relationship between ethnic identity and philosophy. For instance, Stock’s concept of “hierarchical inclusion” suggests a power dynamic in the recognition and integration of minority philosophies into the broader philosophical canon. This contrasts with the more egalitarian and developmental perspectives on ethnic identity found in psychological research, as seen in, and which focus on the development and validation of ethnic identity measures and their implications for minority group members. In summary, the specifics of the manifestation of ethnic identity in philosophy can be seen in the integration of ethnic and cultural considerations into philosophical discourse, as well as in the recognition of the power dynamics involved in the inclusion of minority philosophies. The literature suggests that ethnic identity plays a significant role in shaping philosophical thought and discourse, particularly in non-Western contexts and in relation to educational philosophy. Further exploration of these dynamics is warranted to understand the full impact of ethnic identity on philosophical inquiry.

This qualitative study explored the cultural identity negotiation of young adult immigrants. Using a grounded theory research design, 10 semistructured interviews were conducted with emerging adult immigrants (EAI), ages 19-27. Results yielded a substantive model of cultural identity negotiation (MCIN) for EAI and posited that One's Motivation and Sense of Agency to Negotiate Cultural Identity is at the core of how participants navigate their cultural identities. This model included 6 major categories: (a) Family Cultural Rigidity; (b) Connections Specific to Canada; (c) Connection to a Same Cultured Community; (d) Sense of Permanency; (e) Desire to Preserve Culture of Origin; (f) Desire to Fit in to Canadian Culture, as well as 2 overarching factors (Dimension of Time and Dimension of Age), which were found to be influential on participants' cultural identity negotiation. The model also included the identification of 4 approaches to cultural identity negotiation: (a) Blended; (b) Dual; (c) Disconnected; and (d) Intermediate. The MCIN for EAI is discussed in terms of the current literature on cultural identity formation as well as implications for counseling psychology training and practice. Recommendations for further research are also suggested. (PsycINFO Database Record

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of religious rituals on cultural identity- a review of the relationship between religious practices and cultural belonging.
 Methodology: The study adopted a desktop research methodology. Desk research refers to secondary data or that which can be collected without fieldwork. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive’s time, telephone charges and directories. Thus, the study relied on already published studies, reports and statistics. This secondary data was easily accessed through the online journals and library.
 Findings: The findings revealed that there exists a contextual and methodological gap relating to the impact of religious rituals on cultural identity. Preliminary empirical review demonstrated that religious rituals play a crucial role in the formation, maintenance, and negotiation of cultural identity within diverse religious communities and cultural contexts. Engaging in religious rituals fosters a sense of belonging, strengthens cultural values and traditions, and contributes to the intergenerational transmission of cultural identity. Furthermore, religious rituals serve as symbolic expressions of cultural identity, reinforcing social cohesion and providing individuals with a sense of shared identity and purpose.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The Social Identity theory, Symbolic Interactionism and the Cultural Identity theory may be used to anchor future studies on the impact of religious rituals on cultural identity. The study recommended for foster intergenerational dialogues, promoting of cultural education, facilitation of interfaith exchanges, encouraging of ritual adaptation, supporting of community engagements and making collaborations with cultural organizations.

GENDER AND SEXUALITY ARE KEY FORCES in the negotiation of national and cultural identities, as is evident in the texts of North African writers such as Abdelkdbir Khatibi, Tahar Ben Jelloun, Nabile Fares, Mohammed Dib, and Assia Djebar, and women's negotiation of these identities is frequently a central issue. Yet some critics have taken a postfeminist approach to these questions, analyzing the textual deployment of woman without considering its relation to women's historical and material reality. Others have taken a feminist approach devoted mainly to studying images of women (as mothers, militants, etc.), leaving aside the problem of the texts' staging of the social processes by which human subjects are constituted as women in particular cultural and historical circumstances.' Critical neglect of women's constitution as historical subjects in literature is perhaps nowhere more apparent than in readings of Kateb Yacine's Nedjma, for though readers readily recognize in Nedjma (the character) an emblem of the contradictory forces at work in Algeria's search for national identity, they rarely consider Nedjma's significance for Algerian women's liberation, and never see in it a figuration of the revolution's failure to ensure social equality for women. I would argue in favor of feminist readings of North African fiction that neither limit inquiry to the examination of sex roles and their literary representations, nor bypass women's interests by focusing attention on woman as a textual marker of intractable difference. Taking Nedjma as my example, I hope to demonstrate the importance of attending to the relation between fiction and North African women's potency as makers of social meanings. After showing why Nedjma must be read in the context of women's political situation in Algeria today, I will trun to the related question of Western feminist scholarship on women of North Africa and the Middle East, arguing that debates in Arab feminism and recent reflections on theory and methodology in feminist social science should be taken into account by literary scholars.

This article explores the dynamic and interconnected practices of translingual and transcultural communication among users of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) within the emerging concept of the trans-digital space. This space blurs the boundaries between online and offline communication, where multiple intersecting scales, ranging from national and global to digital and physical, shape the negotiation of cultural identities. Using a multi-scalar analysis, the study examines how Algerian international students at a UK university employ a diverse range of linguistic, multimodal, and cultural resources to navigate these scales and construct their cultural identities. Through ethnographic methods, the research highlights the fluid and multilayered nature of cultural identity construction, as ELF users integrate various communicative practices across overlapping scales. It aligns with post-structuralist approaches by framing scales not as fixed endpoints but as dynamic, emergent phenomena, suggesting the need for further exploration into the role of language, culture, and technology in contemporary communication. This study offers new insights into the evolving landscape of intercultural communication in the digital age, contributing to broader discussions on the ongoing negotiation of cultural identities within fluid, multi-scalar environments.

Multiculturalism policy in Serbia is an example of compromises made by monoculturalists between the issues surpassing the conservative paradigm of tolerance for ethnic and cultural differences and the normative protection of their identities. An unsystematised approach to shaping multiculturalism policy led to disregard or misinterpretation of demographic factors. Through the examples of how the rights to ethnic and cultural identities are obstructed for the Bosniak population in Priboj and Aromanians in Serbia, and the analysis of problems stemming from the centralist organisation of minority selfgovernments, the paper points to the weaknesses of the current multiculturalism policy and the need for introducing demographic criteria for it to be brought into line with the nature of multiethnicity in the country. The paper points to the issues and difficulties arising from this for the Roma national minority in the realisation of their rights. Despite of being a large national minority, its members are not able to enjoy full cultural autonomy because the realisation of rights is not in line with the demographic characteristics of the Roma. A reform of the multiculturalism policy would remove the existing obstacles and enable effective protection of ethnic, cultural and linguistic identities of minorities. Multiculturalism policy in Serbia is an example of compromises made by monoculturalists between the issues surpassing the conservative paradigm of tolerance for ethnic and cultural differences and the normative protection of their identities. An unsystematised approach to shaping multiculturalism policy led to disregard or misinterpretation of demographic factors. Through the examples of how the rights to ethnic and cultural identities are obstructed for the Bosniak population in Priboj and Aromanians in Serbia, and the analysis of problems stemming from the centralist organisation of minority selfgovernments, the paper points to the weaknesses of the current multiculturalism policy and the need for introducing demographic criteria for it to be brought into line with the nature of multiethnicity in the country. The paper points to the issues and difficulties arising from this for the Roma national minority in the realisation of their rights. Despite of being a large national minority, its members are not able to enjoy full cultural autonomy because the realisation of rights is not in line with the demographic characteristics of the Roma. A reform of the multiculturalism policy would remove the existing obstacles and enable effective protection of ethnic, cultural and linguistic identities of minorities. Multiculturalism policy in Serbia is an example of compromises made by monoculturalists between the issues surpassing the conservative paradigm of tolerance for ethnic and cultural differences and the normative protection of their identities. An unsystematised approach to shaping multiculturalism policy led to disregard or misinterpretation of demographic factors. Through the examples of how the rights to ethnic and cultural identities are obstructed for the Bosniak population in Priboj and Aromanians in Serbia, and the analysis of problems stemming from the centralist organisation of minority selfgovernments, the paper points to the weaknesses of the current multiculturalism policy and the need for introducing demographic criteria for it to be brought into line with the nature of multiethnicity in the country. The paper points to the issues and difficulties arising from this for the Roma national minority in the realisation of their rights. Despite of being a large national minority, its members are not able to enjoy full cultural autonomy because the realisation of rights is not in line with the demographic characteristics of the Roma. A reform of the multiculturalism policy would remove the existing obstacles and enable effective protection of ethnic, cultural and linguistic identities of minorities.

The modern global landscape is characterized by a complex interplay of cultural forces, necessitating a deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying the formation and negotiation of cultural identities. This article explores the concept of “crystallization” as a fundamental mechanism for shaping cultural identity in the context of the modern polycultural world. Drawing on insights from social philosophy and cultural studies, the article examines the dynamics of cultural interactions and the emergence of non-complementarity in modern society. The notion of “eternal return” is introduced as a main tool through which cultural identities are perpetuated and reinforced over time. The crisis of polyculturalism is analyzed in light of increasing national conflicts and challenges to the principle of cultural equivalence. This crisis underscores the need for new approaches to fostering dialogic relations and mitigating the proliferation of conflict and non-complementarity. Convergent technologies are identified as pivotal in the “crystallization” of cultural identities, transcending traditional boundaries and facilitating the convergence of diverse cultural expressions. This phenomenon has profound implications for the negotiation of identity in modern society. The study highlights the importance of understanding the mechanisms of cultural identity formation in addressing the challenges of the modern polycultural world. By elucidating the concept of “crystallization” and its implications for social philosophy, the article contributes to ongoing discussions on polyculturalism and identity politics.