Hegemony and Humor: Class and Hegemonic Masculinities in Three Premodern Chinese Humorous Texts

Scholars studying humor have been debating over whether humor is rebellious toward the social order or is reprimanding those who do not or cannot conform. Some researchers argue for the resisting potential of humor. For example, Joseph Boskin argues that because of its easy transmission the impact of rebellious humor is tremendous.1 He speculates that humor which challenged the social, racial, and political conditions in the United States exerted its effect during political repression, ethnic and gender conf licts, and collective worries over social and economic crises. In her study on a construction site in Britain, Jacqueline Watts finds that junior men and women used humor as resistance against the more powerful men.2 Humor between women served as a shelter for them in such a patriarchal environment. Furthermore, comedy that values women’s experience can act as strong criticisms toward stereotypes and objectification of women.3