The ambivalent affordances of humour in capitalist
organisations
The ambivalent affordances of humour in capitalist
organisations
Author(s): Massih ZekavatSubject(s): Social Sciences, Communication studies, Sociology, Theory of Communication, Management and complex organizations, Identity of Collectives
Published by: Krakowskie Towarzystwo Popularyzowania Wiedzy o Komunikacji Językowej Tertium
Keywords: humour; capitalism; work and organisational leadership; positive psychology; Frankfurt School
Summary/Abstract: Responding to concerns raised by Michael Billig (2018) regarding the functions of humour incapitalist organisations, this essay strives to convey how humour and satire can have liberatingand empowering affordances for subjects in organisational contexts as they can potentiallyintervene in the negotiation and exercise of power through fostering negative dialecticalthinking and estrangement. Revisiting the scepticism of Marcuse, Fromm, Horkheimer andAdorno toward humour, it strives to provide an initial theoretical framework to accommodatea more nuanced understanding of the functions of humour in power structures by locating itwithin the contingencies acknowledged by Frankfurt School critical theorists. Although humourcan be co-opted to serve power and consolidate the status quo, it can also serve as a potentialresistance strategy in capitalist societies and organisations.
Journal: The European Journal of Humour Research
- Issue Year: 11/2023
- Issue No: 1
- Page Range: 184-200
- Page Count: 17
- Language: English
