Hybrid Humour: Comedy in Transcultural Perspectives ed. by Graeme Dunphy and Rainer Emig (review)

In light of the increasing significance of the study of migration in Europe, Graeme Dunphy and Rainer Emig focus in their collection of essays on the investigation of humor as a form of expression of migrant experiences. The aim of their volume is to explore “diverse forms of ‘hybrid’ humour, by cultural dissidents, immigrants, and subsequent generations of ethnic minorities” (7). Both hybridity and humor are considered to be issues of exchange: humor amounts to the exchange between different positions, and hybridity is the representation of continuing exchanges. By discussing questions like how hybridity and hybridization can manifest themselves in humor, what migrants laugh about, how humor can act as a way of protest, or whether there are differences in migrant humor in the subsequent generations, the authors open new perspectives on the issue of migration.

The contributions cover the migration experiences of six European countries. As a field of investigation, the European Union offers not only cultural contrasts but also represents an economic dominance. The focus of the volume lies on mass immigration into Western European countries since World War II. The editors distinguish here between different kinds of migrants, such as forced migrants, as in the case of asylum seekers or refugees, in contrast to economic migrants, that is, those who look for wealth in countries that are more affluent than their home countries, as in the case of guest workers or colonial migrants.

The first country examined is Poland. In the opening chapter, Alexander Wöll explores the way Miron Białoszewski uses humor and hybridity in his works as a means to subvert cultural norms. Wöll understands the word “hybrid” in its original Greek meaning as “cross-over” or “something mixed” in his analysis of modern Polish poet’s works. Hybridity manifests itself here on a linguistic level. By using different stylistic elements and reference texts in his poetry, Białoszewski counters traditional norms.

The reaction to humorous national and cultural stereotypes in the media is examined in the second chapter by Delia Chiaro. In her empirical study she investigates the reaction of Italian immigrants to ethnic humor in British and American media, taking into account both first- and second-generation perceptions of clichés in advertisements by Italian and international companies. Her research suggests that, in contrast to her initial hypothesis, negative ethnic stereotypes are perceived as more insulting by second-generation immigrants than by the first. The author thus concludes that second-generation immigrants might need more approval from the host culture and that, in general, humor is highly dependent on the attitude of the audience.

Michiel van Kempen considers humor in Dutch migrant literature in his chapter. Examining four migrant writers, he outlines the development of a Dutch multicultural literary scene from the 1980s onward. Humor is used in these works in manifold ways, from giving voice to the migrant’s critical outside perspective to subverting Dutch cultural norms. Van Kempen comes to the conclusion that even though the issues discussed remain the same, the humorous expressions can vary enormously.

Diverse manifestations of humor can also be found in so-called Beur culture in France. In her essay, Hédi Abdel-Jaouad addresses the specificity of Beur humor, that is, that of second- and third-generation immigrants of North African or Maghrebian descent. Striving for a feeling of belonging that is neither provided in French culture nor in the parents’ or grandparents’ home country, second- and third generation Beurs have come to rely on humor as a mode of resistance as well as means of pleading for change. Abdel-Jaouad demonstrates that, as a communicative device, humor enables not only the revelation of social and cultural alienation but also the breaking down of existing stereotypes. Thereby the Beurs have created a new “in-between” space in which to establish their own discourse.

Turkish comedy, which is similar to Beur humor, has made its way into mainstream satires...