This series examines comedy at the intersection of media, culture, and politics during a time of increasing social division and radical technological change. Comedy’s proliferation across film, television, and digital media in the 21st century has made it an increasingly important element of discourses of race, gender, ethnicity, and democracy. How and why has comedic content exploded throughout national and global media, and what effect is this having on broader public conversations? Through critical considerations of the popular, industrial, and formal impact of comedic media, the series provides an engaging humor’s role in our evolving cultural landscape and its relationship with social identities and political discourses. The series emphasizes scholarship using interpretive, qualitative approaches focused not only on the formal dimensions of comedy, but also on issues of race and ethnicity, nationalism, class, gender, sexuality. Additionally, the series will aim to bridge the gap between the study and practice comedy, bringing scholars into dialogue with comedy creators. The series will appeal both to academics who study the subject and to non-academic readers who want to know about the art form and develop insights into how they might make comedy of their own. Inquiries and submissions may be sent to series editors Nick Marx ([email protected]) or Matt Sienkiewicz ([email protected]).
