The Revolution Will Be Hilarious: Comedy for Social Change and Civic Power

The Revolution Will Be Hilarious explores how comedy and social justice activists are working together to reshape the entertainment industry and offer creative avenues for social change. It highlights the role of comedy in helping communities engage with challenging social issues and the co-creation of entertaining comedy by social justice organizations and comedians. Borum argues that building creative power is crucial for marginalized groups to build civic power and that social justice comedy is a powerful tool for agitating the status quo and re-imagining social realities.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 02 May 2023
Publisher: New York University Press

An insider's look at the power of comedy to effect social change:
From Trevor Noah's The Daily Show and Hasan Minhaj's Patriot Act, to Issa Rae's Insecure and Corey Ryan Forrester's Twitter feed, today's multi-platform comedy refuses to shy away from the social issues that define our time. As more comedians lean into social justice activism, they help reshape the entertainment industry and offer creative, dynamic avenues for social change.

The Revolution Will Be Hilarious offers a compelling insider's look at how comedy and social justice activists are working together in a revolutionary media moment. Caty Borum invites readers into an expanding, enterprising arena of participatory culture and politics through in-depth interviews with comedians, social justice leaders, and Hollywood players. Their insights shed light on questions such as: What role does comedy play in helping communities engage the public with challenging social issues? How do social justice organizations and comedians co-create entertaining comedy designed to build the civic power of marginalized groups? And how are entertainment industry leaders working with social justice organizations to launch new comedy as both entertainment and inspiration for social change?

Through this exploration, Borum argues that building creative power is crucial for marginalized groups to build civic power. The Revolution Will Be Hilarious positions the rise of social justice comedy as creative, disruptive storytelling that hilariously invites us to agitate the status quo and re-imagine social realities to come closer to the promise of equity and justice in America.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781479810833