Humour in Asian Cultures: Tradition and Context

This book explores the impact of tradition on modern humor across Asian countries and their cultures, using examples from Japan, Korea, Indonesia, and Chinese cultures in Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. It highlights the importance of understanding a wider range of cultural values in the present era of globalized communication and the importance of reliable studies of why and how cultures that are geographically related differ in their traditional uses of and assumptions about humor.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 336 pages
Publication date: 29 January 2024
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This groundbreaking book delves into the profound influence of tradition on modern humor across a diverse array of Asian countries and their rich cultures. Through a series of compelling examples drawn from Japan, Korea, Indonesia, and Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, the contributors explore the intricate cultural rules that shape the creation and dissemination of humor.

Humor, when wielded skillfully, possesses the remarkable ability to foster understanding and camaraderie; however, when misconstrued, it can lead to significant setbacks. Throughout history, humor has emerged and submerged in various periods and forms in these countries, but the conventions of today still bear the imprint of traditional attitudes and assumptions regarding what is appropriate in the realm of humor creation and consumption.

In their meticulous examination, Milner Davis and her colleagues shed light on how forms and conventions that differ from those in the West can also be observed to share common elements. By drawing upon a wide range of examples, including classical texts such as Mencian, Balinese traditional verbal humor, Korean and Taiwanese workplace humor, Japanese laughter ceremonies, performances, and cartoons, as well as contemporary Chinese-language films and videos, they engage with a diverse spectrum of forms and traditions.

This captivating collection of studies holds immense appeal to students and scholars of numerous Asian cultures, as well as those with a broader interest in humor studies. It underscores the growing significance of gaining a deeper understanding of diverse cultural values in the contemporary era of globalized communication, and the importance of conducting rigorous research to unravel the reasons and mechanisms behind the distinct traditional uses and assumptions about humor observed in geographically related cultures.

Weight: 453g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032009186