The time of jokes in the rubble of post-communism
The time of jokes in the rubble of post-communism
This contribution appraises the political potentiality of humor as a means to disrupt a post-communist temporal order. I depart methodologically from a specific instance of a humorous intervention in public space in Sofia as a starting point for the examination of this potentiality in theoretical terms. In the essay, I discuss resonances and differences between conceptualizations of postcolonial and post-communist temporality, and engage with the writings of Boris Buden (2009), Nikolay Karkov and Zhivka Valiavicharska (2018), and Alenka Zupančič (2008). In the final part of the text, Zupančič’s work is mobilized in order to shed light on two interrelated aspects regarding humor’s subversive potential: firstly, its capacity to intervene in a temporal order and, secondly, its ability to render abstractions concrete. I end the contribution with a speculative proposition about the role of humor in the collapse of post-communism.
Genova, Neda
28792bd8-b147-4938-a175-8d54fa7173a3
13 January 2023
Genova, Neda
28792bd8-b147-4938-a175-8d54fa7173a3
Genova, Neda
(2023)
The time of jokes in the rubble of post-communism.
Connections. A Journal for Historians and Area Specialists.
Abstract
This contribution appraises the political potentiality of humor as a means to disrupt a post-communist temporal order. I depart methodologically from a specific instance of a humorous intervention in public space in Sofia as a starting point for the examination of this potentiality in theoretical terms. In the essay, I discuss resonances and differences between conceptualizations of postcolonial and post-communist temporality, and engage with the writings of Boris Buden (2009), Nikolay Karkov and Zhivka Valiavicharska (2018), and Alenka Zupančič (2008). In the final part of the text, Zupančič’s work is mobilized in order to shed light on two interrelated aspects regarding humor’s subversive potential: firstly, its capacity to intervene in a temporal order and, secondly, its ability to render abstractions concrete. I end the contribution with a speculative proposition about the role of humor in the collapse of post-communism.
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Time-of-Jokes-Genova-2023
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Published date: 13 January 2023
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Local EPrints ID: 494775
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/494775
ISSN: 2196-5323
PURE UUID: 5c8bb934-747f-45e6-b3c1-2a9a0c352089
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Date deposited: 15 Oct 2024 16:45
Last modified: 16 Oct 2024 02:15
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Author:
Neda Genova
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