Jokes in Iran
Jokes in Iran

Summary/Abstract: This study touches upon the main targets and functions of jokes in Iran. To this end, a corpus of 1000 Persian jokes was randomly selected from different online websites and classified based on their targets. A survey was also administered to 200 university students from around the country to investigate their opinions on the characteristics and functions, or what these jokes may reflect or perpetuate in the Iranian society. The analysis of the collected data revealed that the targets of Persian jokes are mostly ethnic and political issues, which violate the social and political taboos and censorship to achieve their end. The prevalence of ethnic jokes could highlight the unsettling relationship and competition between ethnic groups and the established majority for better socio-economic and socio-political opportunities in this multi-ethnic and multilingual society. This study concludes with a call for further interdisciplinary research into the various factors and forces that may influence the dynamics of jokes in this context.

• Details
• Contents