'Intergalactic' Resistance Studies Conference

Individual presentation

The Gospel of Ridicule

J. Cynthia McDermott
Antioch University
Lejla Panjeta
Researcher
This paper examines laughter, ridicule, and play as historically persistent instruments of political resistance. Drawing on philosophical theory, cultural history, and case studies ranging from whispered jokes in Nazi Germany to the siege of Sarajevo and contemporary protest movements, it argues that humor is not a distraction from political struggle but one of its most effective strategies. Using Henri Bergson’s theory of laughter as a social corrective against rigidity, the study demonstrates how satire and sarcasm expose the mechanical nature of authoritarian power. Laughter is treated as a subversive force capable of dissolving fear, reverence, and obedience. By tracing humor’s ability to undermine ideological seriousness, mobilize collective agency, and reclaim humanity under conditions of repression, this paper proposes a “gospel of ridicule”: a tradition in which laughter functions as ethical resistance, cultural survival, and political intelligence.
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