In what ways is comedy subversive? This vital new book critically
considers the importance of comedy in challenging and redefining our
relations to race and racism through the lens of political correctness.
By viewing comedy as both a constitutive feature of social interaction
and as a necessary requirement in the appraisal of what is often deemed
to be 'politically correct', this book provides an innovative and
multidisciplinary approach to the study of comedy and popular culture.
In doing so, it engages with the social and cultural tensions inherent
to our understandings of political correctness, arguing that comedy can
subversively redefine our approach to 'PC Debates', contestations
surrounding free speech and the popular portrayal of political
correctness in the media and society. Aided by the work of both Slavoj
Žižek and Alenka Zupančič, this unique analysis adopts a
psychoanalytic/philosophical framework to explore issues of race, racism
and political correctness in the widely acclaimed BBC 'mockumentary',
The Office (UK), as well as a variety of television comedies.
Drawing from psychoanalysis, social psychology and philosophy, this book
will be highly relevant for postgraduate students and academic
researchers studying comedy, race/racism, multiculturalism, political
correctness and television/film.
