Joking about the Fear of Joking
Joking about the Fear of Joking

Summary/Abstract: Anastasiya Astapova. Humor and Rumor in the Post-Soviet Authoritarian State. Lanham: Lexington Books, 2021. 184 pp. Anastasiya Astapova is a Belarusian scholar with a specialisation in humour and folklore studies. The reviewed book titled Humor and Rumor in the Post-Soviet Authoritarian State (2021) is based on her doctoral dissertation, “Negotiating Belarussianness: Political Folklore betwixt and between”, which she defended at the University of Tartu in 2015. Although the data was collected over five years ago, in her book the author manages to actualise the discussion of classic Belarusian political jokes in the current situation by adding a preface addressing the political changes and making connections to the recent events in conclusion. These slight edits transform the book from a mere thesis adaptation into a reconsideration of the topic timely published during the wake of protests and repressions in Belarus. The political framing is present even on the book’s cover – white background with a crimson stripe on it resembles the Belarusian national white-red-white flag used by the opposition. The same colour combination can be seen on the facade of the socialist building also depicted on the cover. This iconic architecture creates a visual connection to the post-Soviet everyday reality, expanding the context of the discussion to all post-Soviet countries. However, the main focus of the book remains on Belarus.

• Details
• Contents