Inaugural lecture delivered at Rhodes University / Rhodes University Libraries (Digitisation)

This study examined the use of humor between workers and managerial personnel of two different treatment teams within a residential treatment center for emotionally troubled youth. Three primary questions guided the research: (1) What indigenous types of occupational humor will be found within the treatment teams?, (2) How will the use of humor vary between front and back regions of treatment work?, and (3) How does occupational status affect the way in which team members target on another to be the "butt" of jokes and other humorous remarks?

Using the social networking site Facebook as a corpus, I collected 1,500 random samples of interactions between friends. I tracked the use of jokes and disparaging humor between same- and opposite-gender pairs to discover that there is a strong correlation between the style of joke-making evoked by the speaker and the gender of both the speaker and the hearer. The men in the study were about eight times more likely to make insulting or degrading jokes with other men than the women were with each other. Following the study is a discussion where I address methods of politeness across genders, approaches to humor, and how sex, culture, and gender expectations influence our communicative choices. Though the discussion is based in our linguistic choices, the results of the study reflect trends that are present in countless aspects of society, and the issues that are raised go far beyond the spoken word. / text

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Ce travail repose sur une analyse comparative de la pratique institutionnalisée des relations à plaisanterie dans deux populations de la Casamance (Sénégal) – les Mandinka et les Joola. Malgré leur proximité géographique, chacune de ces populations se distingue très fortement du point de vue de son organisation sociale et de ses pratiques rituelles et religieuses. Toutefois, les uns et les autres ont développé des modes particuliers de relations à plaisanterie, et ce, à plusieurs niveaux. Différents types de relations à plaisanterie ont été repérées et décrites : entre parents, clans, unités locales, groupes ethniques... Inégalement documentées dans la littérature existante, certaines sont communes aux deux sociétés, d'autres n'existent que dans une seule. À partir d'une ethnographie la plus fine possible de leur contexte et de leurs expressions, nous avons tenté de dégager les emprunts ou inter-influences entre ces différents modes, mais aussi de comprendre ce qu'ils révèlent dans chaque cas, de la manière dont sont pensées et aménagées les relations entre catégories sociales tout à la fois rivales et complémentaires. Nous avons mis l'accent sur le fait que, surgissant dans des « nœuds » de tension déterminés tout à la fois par l'organisation sociale et familiale et des éléments d’ordre symbolique et religieux, l'étude des relations à plaisanterie ne peut en être dissociée. / This work is a comparative analysis of the institutionalized practice of joking relationships amongst two populations—the Mandinka and Joola—of Casamance, Senegal. Despite their geographical proximity, each of these populations is very distinct in terms of social organization as well as ritual and religious practices. Nonetheless, both have developed particular forms of joking relationships that overlap at different levels. Different types of joking relationships are identified and described: between relatives, clans, local units, ethnic groups. Unequally documented in the existing literature, some are common to both groups, while others exist in only one. Starting from an in-depth ethnographic study of the context and relevant expressions, we have attempted both to identify borrowings and mutual influence between the two groups, and to understand what they reveal about the way that relations are construed and arranged between social categories that are rival yet complimentary. This work stresses that the study of joking relationships cannot be dissociated from the social and family organization as well as symbolic and religious elements which determine the "knots" of tension where these relationships arise.

Research on international teaching assistants (ITAs) often highlights that ITAs have at least two identities, an identity of a teacher and a student (e.g., Jenkins, 2000). Since American classrooms foster a variety of behaviors that are negotiated by instructors and students, ITAs may identify themselves with students during behavior negotiation when building rapport, especially by exchanging jokes (Unger-Gallagher, 1991). Making their student identity relevant may distort the teacher-student relationship, which ITAs might need to renegotiate. Little research has been done to show whether ITA student identity actually emerges and if does, then how. This study addresses the questions of what attributes of ITA's identities emerge during humorous exchanges with their students, how these attributes shape the teacher-student relationship, and what role humor plays in the identity negotiation process between the ITAs and their students in the university classroom. Four ITAs, all non-native English speakers, participated in this microethnographic study. This study informs research on social identity in that, most of the time, participants made the attributes of their teacher identity relevant, with teacher authority emerging as the most important attribute. While enacting their teacher identity through humorous exchanges, ITAs built rapport and created affiliation with their students. Although humor led to establishing good relationships, it did not lead to the emergence of ITA student identity. This study also contributes to research on humor in that it makes a distinction between the concepts of the target and the butt which allows for deeper understanding of how humor is used to negotiate identity. It also introduces the target switch, or a particular type of counter teasing, in which the initial target redirects humorous aggression to the teaser, thus making her/him the target and a potential butt of the tease. An optimistic finding for ITA research and research on the use of humor by non-native speakers is that even without extensive experience with American culture in general, ITAs can use humor rooted in the local context to negotiate different classroom behaviors and their identities with their students.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / Esta dissertação analisa marcadores sociais produtores de hierarquia, desigualdade e discriminação entre sujeitos LGBT na cidade de Maputo. A análise das intersecções de gênero, raça, classe social, idade e sexualidade demonstra que os sujeitos LGBT em contextos de sociabilidades, e mesmo nas relações sociais, constroem hierarquias e formas de discriminação, que por sua vez geram sentimentos tais como a humilhação e o desprezo. O estudo discute também de que maneira esses marcadores posicionam determinados sujeitos LGBT na dinâmica de sociabilidade e preferências sexuais no pólo de valorizados, relegando outros ao pólo de desvalorizados. O humor, a jocosidade, e a informalidade observados reforçam os marcadores sociais das diferenças entre os sujeitos LGBT, e ainda informam moralidades por meio de um discurso irônico. A pesquisa é de carácter etnográfico e baseou-se nos métodos e técnicas tradicionais da antropologia: observação-participante e conversas informais com sujeitos LGBT; e incluiu ainda análise de documentos. Um objectivo secundário desta dissertação é contribuir para a construção da história do movimento LGBT moçambicano, que ainda está por ser realizada e o desenho de tal história faz parte do levantamento realizado. / This dissertation analyzes social markers that produce hierarchy, inequality and discrimination among LGBT individuals in Maputo. The analysis of gender and its intersection with race, social class, age and sexuality demonstrates that LGBT individuals in the context of social relations build hierarchies and forms of discrimination, which in turn generate feelings such as humiliation and the contempt. The study also discusses how these markers place certain LGBT subjects, in the dynamics of sociability and sexual preferences, in a valued position, relegating others to the opposite position. The humor, jocoseness, and the observed informality reinforce the social markers of the differences between LGBT individuals, and also inform morality through an ironic discourse. The research is ethnographic and was based on the traditional methods and techniques of anthropology: participant observation and informal conversations with LGBT individuals; and even included document analysis. A secondary objective of this dissertation is to contribute to the construction of the history the Mozambican LGBT movement, which is yet to be held - and the design of such a story is part of the conducted survey.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / Esta dissertação analisa marcadores sociais produtores de hierarquia, desigualdade e discriminação entre sujeitos LGBT na cidade de Maputo. A análise das intersecções de gênero, raça, classe social, idade e sexualidade demonstra que os sujeitos LGBT em contextos de sociabilidades, e mesmo nas relações sociais, constroem hierarquias e formas de discriminação, que por sua vez geram sentimentos tais como a humilhação e o desprezo. O estudo discute também de que maneira esses marcadores posicionam determinados sujeitos LGBT na dinâmica de sociabilidade e preferências sexuais no pólo de valorizados, relegando outros ao pólo de desvalorizados. O humor, a jocosidade, e a informalidade observados reforçam os marcadores sociais das diferenças entre os sujeitos LGBT, e ainda informam moralidades por meio de um discurso irônico. A pesquisa é de carácter etnográfico e baseou-se nos métodos e técnicas tradicionais da antropologia: observação-participante e conversas informais com sujeitos LGBT; e incluiu ainda análise de documentos. Um objectivo secundário desta dissertação é contribuir para a construção da história do movimento LGBT moçambicano, que ainda está por ser realizada e o desenho de tal história faz parte do levantamento realizado. / This dissertation analyzes social markers that produce hierarchy, inequality and discrimination among LGBT individuals in Maputo. The analysis of gender and its intersection with race, social class, age and sexuality demonstrates that LGBT individuals in the context of social relations build hierarchies and forms of discrimination, which in turn generate feelings such as humiliation and the contempt. The study also discusses how these markers place certain LGBT subjects, in the dynamics of sociability and sexual preferences, in a valued position, relegating others to the opposite position. The humor, jocoseness, and the observed informality reinforce the social markers of the differences between LGBT individuals, and also inform morality through an ironic discourse. The research is ethnographic and was based on the traditional methods and techniques of anthropology: participant observation and informal conversations with LGBT individuals; and even included document analysis. A secondary objective of this dissertation is to contribute to the construction of the history the Mozambican LGBT movement, which is yet to be held - and the design of such a story is part of the conducted survey.

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No. of bitstreams: 1 williamassisdasilva.pdf: 2252317 bytes, checksum: 0144cb245d0f397b6e5302a9fc928c36 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-06-24 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / O presente trabalho tem como intuito refletir, antropologicamente, sobre os temas da masculinidade, da velhice e dos aspectos característicos do jogar, baseando-se em uma etnografia realizada em um território de sociabilidade entre homens, preponderantemente velhos, que se reúnem diariamente para a prática de jogos de cartas no Parque Halfeld, localizado no centro da cidade de Juiz de Fora. Busco, primeiramente, tratar temas relativos à etnografia, a partir de minha inserção em campo, a fim de mostrar os caminhos percorridos durante o trabalho, relacionando as percepções iniciais sobre objeto e as desconstruções advindas do processo de descoberta do território dos jogos. A palavra “feitiço” utilizada no título e no decorrer do texto, refere-se à intensidade da forma como o jogo cativa o jogador, a ponto de constituir um “mundo artificial”, diferente da seriedade exigida na vida cotidiana, resultando em uma sociabilidade em que o conteúdo do jogo e os jogos sociais, construídos a partir dele, são os grandes motivadores. Para além do jogo propriamente dito, o feitiço só se realiza plenamente juntamente ao jogo social das relações jocosas. Com provocações verbais e performances corporais de indecência e grosseria, mediadas por um “saber brincar”, canalizam os estresses cotidianos através de tais conflitos jocosos que implicam na combinação entre uma pretensão de hostilidade e real amistosidade. É também de forma jocosa que temas como a velhice e a masculinidade são colocados em jogo, sem que precisem ser levados a sério. Embora seja um território ocupado preponderantemente por homens com mais de sessenta anos, os discursos e práticas de jogadores e espectadores encontrados em campo demonstram uma não identificação com as categorias “velho” e “idoso”, que aparecem associadas a uma série de características negativas atribuídas a velhice. Sendo uma sociabilidade masculina intrassexual, as experiências encontradas em campo e a frase “vê se vira homem” ilustram uma constante (re)construção da masculinidade a partir de gestos e discursos que visam atribuir características femininas a um homem em busca de desqualificá-lo perante os outros, colocando em jogo a masculinidade do acusado mediante a homofobia. Tratando do tema da sexualidade na velhice, à despeito das expectativas de gerontólogos, que sugerem que se busque novas zonas erógenas, o interesse sexual de jogadores e espectadores aparecem ainda fortemente associados ao modelo hegemônico de masculinidade que confere intensa valorização à penetração e ao desempenho erétil. / This work is intended to reflect, anthropologically, on the themes of masculinity, old age and the characteristic aspects of the play, based on an ethnography carried out in an area of sociability among men, old preponderantly, who gather daily to practice card games in Halfeld Park, located in the city of Juiz de Fora. I seek, first, address issues relating to ethnography, from my insertion in the field, in order to show the paths taken during the work, relating the initial perceptions of the object and the deconstructions that arise from the discovery process of the game territory. The word "spell" used in the title and throughout the text, refers to the intensity of the way in which the game captivates the player to constitute an "artificial world," different from the seriousness required in everyday life, resulting in a sociability in which the game content and the social games built from it are the greatest motivators. Besides the game itself, the spell can only be fully realized along with social game of joking relationships. With verbal taunts and physical performances of indecency and rudeness, mediated by a "learn to play", canalizes the everyday stress through such joke conflicts that involve the combination of a pretense hostility and real friendliness. It is also in a joking way that issues such as old age and masculinity are approached without the need to be taken seriously. Although it is a territory mainly occupied by men over sixty years, the discourses and practices of players and audience found in the field demonstrate a failure in the identification with the categories of "old" and "elderly", which appear to be associated with a number of negative characteristics attributed to old age. Being a intrassexual male sociability, experiences found in the field such as the phrase "turn into man" illustrate a constant (re) construction of masculinity from gestures and speeches that seek to attribute feminine characteristics to a man intending to disqualify him before others putting into doubt the maleness of the accused by homophobia. Dealing with the topic of sexuality in old age, despite of gerontologists expectations who suggests men to seek new erogenous zones, sexual interest of players and audience still appear strongly associated with the hegemonic model of masculinity that gives intense valorization of penetration and erectile performance.

This thesis deals with jokes and gender as social meaning. Here gender identity is regarded as one kind of social meaning. The gender identity of the individual is produced in interaction with other persons and is also conditioned by cultural codes. Of particular interest is how social identity is constituted by linguistic means. This is discussed using a model of indexicality, i.e. how linguistic features index one or more dimensions of the social context. Especially the indirect and constitutive relations between language and gender are discussed in terms of stances, acts and activities. In this context the speech act joking is seen as an example of a male gender constituent. A second theoretical angle consists of introducing some linguistic theories of humour and applying them to two empirical materials. The first material consists of audiovisual recordings of school pupils’ group discussions with no adult leader present. The pupils work with the same task, both in unisexual and mixed groups. The study focuses on describing how the speakers present suggestions of their own, and respond to the suggestions of others. The suggestions have lent themselves to being grouped into three categories: serious suggestions, playful suggestions, and joking suggestions. Identifying jokes in conversation can be difficult; thus four criteria for joke identification are applied: intention, structure, reaction and convention. Two types of structural criteria are used: semantic and rhetorical. The second material consists of a questionnaire administered to university students, which asks whom the informant apprehends as funny. A general tendency in the answers is that men only mention men, while women single out both women and men. Another tendency is that few women are found in the answers of the questions concerning the mass media, while women mention many funny women in the questions about their own everyday experiences. In this study it is argued that language use not only reflects our place in culture and society but also helps to constitute that place. Women and men encounter different cultural codes, and thus their performance of different speech acts also differs. This has an impact on the speakers’ social identity, one of which is gender identity.