Jonathan Ervine: Humour in Contemporary France

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Thinking through serious questions about racial, ethnic, and religious difference, Jonathan Ervine’s Humour in Contemporary France: Controversy, Consensus and Contradictions (Liverpool University Press, 2019) traces the ways that comedy pulls communities apart and brings them together in the French context. Ervine began the research for this project in advance of the fatal Charlie Hebdo shootings of 2015. The book he published four years later starts with an analysis of the intense debates about humour and freedom of the press that proliferated in the wake of these violent and tragic events. Situating Charlie Hebdo within the context of French humour more broadly, and turning to stand-up/sketch comedy in particular, Ervine’s remaining three case studies approach issues of universalism, cultural and political conflict using a range of examples. Focused on the provocations of the Black comedian Dieudonné, the Jamel Comedy Club, and the television series A part ça tout vie bien, the book examines: antiracism and antisemitism, minority comedians, urban culture, the legacies of immigration, and the complex relationship between Islam and comedy in contemporary France. Considering the possibilities and politics of multiculturalism in and through comedy, the book is a vital source for readers interested in what does and doesn’t make different French people laugh, and why.

Jonathan Ervine - Contributor

School of Arts, Culture and Language

Description

Interview with Roxane Panchasi on New Books in French Studies podcast, discussed my book Humour in Contemporary France

28 Feb 2023

Keywords

humour, humour studies, French comedy, Contemporary France, comedy, stand-up comedy, Charlie Hebdo, humour and offensiveness

Research outputs (7)

Published
Et si le stand-up n’appartenait pas à la culture urbaine ?
Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper
Published
The Jamel Comedy Club: (Mis)understanding Stand-Up Comedy’s Relationship with Urban Culture in France
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Published
Performing a sense of belonging: East Asian comedians in France
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Prof. activities and awards (10)

Interview about Charlie Hebdo and French stand-up comedy
Activity: Other › Types of Public engagement and outreach - Media article or participation
BBC World Service interview about Charlie Hebdo.
Activity: Other › Types of Public engagement and outreach - Media article or participation
Cinq ans après, « Je suis Charlie » sonne creux
Activity: Other › Types of Public engagement and outreach - Media article or participation