Au Québec, le genre cinématographique le plus populaire est sans contredit la comédie. Ces films sont ceux qui remportent le plus de succès au Box-Office national et sont souvent appréciés autant par la critique que par le public. D’une posture « proféministe », ce mémoire vise à démontrer comment les représentations de la masculinité, ou plutôt des masculinités, représentent l’objet du rire dans six comédies québécoises : Les Boys (Saia 1997), Québec-Montréal (Trogi 2002), Horloge biologique (Trogi 2005), Les 3 p’tits cochons (Huard 2007), De père en flic (Gaudreault 2009) et De père en flic 2 (Gaudreault 2017). Dans ces films, les homme sont souvent représentés comme étant centrés sur eux-mêmes, libidineux, compétitifs, immatures, stupides ou encore « féminisés ». Ces « failles » masculines permettent aux personnages masculins d’être comiques malgré des comportements parfois problématiques. Dans ces comédies, on tend à catégoriser les individus selon leur sexe, ce qui semble affecter le potentiel comique des personnages. D’une part les hommes sont faillibles mais tout de même amusants et donc divertissants. D’autre part, les femmes sont quant à elles stables et sont les représentantes de normes sociales plus acceptées, ce qui les rend ennuyantes et non-comiques en comparaison. Le comique semble être principalement l’affaire des hommes dans ces films, ce qui fait en sorte qu’hommes et femmes n’ont pas le même temps d’écran, faisant de celles-ci l’Autre aux yeux des protagonistes masculins. Cette attention plus importante accordée aux hommes leur permet d’être ciblés par le ridicule, un phénomène de nature disciplinaire. Les hommes sont comiques grâce à ce ridicule qui les cible en particulier. Ce ridicule témoigne aussi d’une « gender police », suggérant une surveillance entre les personnages masculins qui veulent s’assurer que les autres hommes agissent dans le cadre de normes masculines traditionnelles. Ceux qui peinent à se comporter adéquatement, comme de « vrais hommes », sont ciblés par le ridicule qui les incite à performer afin de pouvoir s’identifier à des configurations normatives de la masculinité. C’est pourquoi, bien souvent, les personnages parviennent à atteindre une masculinité « non-ridicule ». Nous estimons qu’il s’agit là d’un « décentrement » suivi d’un « recentrement » de leur masculinité. Leur comportement problématique s’en voit banalisé et vient servir le comique. De la sorte, ces comédies québécoises réitèrent des représentations traditionnelles des genres sans pour autant les contester, ce qui est ultimement à l’avantage des hommes. / In Quebec, the most popular and successful film genre is without a doubt comedy. These movies are the most successful at the national Box Office and are usually appreciated by both critics and audiences alike. From a “profeminist” perspective, this thesis aims to demonstrate how representations of masculinity, or masculinities, become a means to provoke laughter in six Quebec comedies: Les Boys (Saia 1997), Québec-Montréal (Trogi 2002), Horloge biologique (Trogi 2005), Les 3’ptits cochons (Huard 2007), De père en flic (Gaudreault 2009) and De père en flic 2 (Gaudreault 2017). In these movies, men are portrayed as being self-centered, horny, competitive, immature, dumb or even “unmanly”. These masculine “flaws” are precisely what make these male characters funny, despite how problematic their behavior can become. These comedies also tend to categorize individuals based on their biological sex, which seems to be linked to their capacity to provoke laughter. On the one hand, men are flawed but still funny and thus entertaining, while women, on the other hand, represent stability and more accepted social norms, which makes them boring and less funny in comparison. The “comical” appears to be exclusive to men in these comedies. In that regard, genders get an uneven time of screen, often making women the “Others” to the male protagonists. This greater attention on men allows them to be targeted by ridicule, an inherently disciplinary state of being. Despite being constantly ridiculed for their actions, male characters are still funny, thanks to a ridicule that affects them more than it does for women. This ridicule also seems to act as a “gender police”, suggesting a male-male gaze. Men gaze upon one another to make sure male characters act in accordance with traditional masculine norms. Therefore, they try to avoid being ridiculed under the gaze of other men. The ones who can’t act accordingly see themselves becoming the target of ridicule, which becomes a means for men to reach normative configurations of masculinity. What seems paradoxical is how men are usually able to reach a “non-ridicule” masculinity. We consider this to be part of a “decentralization” followed by “recentralization” of their masculinity. Their questionable behavior, typical of traditional and normative masculinities, is thus trivialized and serves comical purposes. By doing so, these six Quebec comedies reassert traditional representations of genders without questioning them, which mostly benefits men.

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka vilka ord och uttryck som förekommer när härskartekniker används på det sociala mediet Facebook. Kvantitativa och kvalitativa metoder har använts för att undersöka hur män och kvinnor i ålder mellan 25–65 år har blivit utsatta för härskarteknikerna förlöjliga, påförande av skuld och skam samt våld och hot om våld. Resultatet visar att kvinnor oftare blir utsatta för härskarteknikerna än män. Härskartekniken förlöjligande är den härskarteknik som oftast förekommer och nedvärderande är den kategori för karakteristik av olämpligt språkbruk som förekommer mest. De slutsatser som går att dra utifrån undersökningen är att kvinnor ännu är de som oftast utsätts för härskartekniker samt att yngre människor uttrycker grövre ord och uttryck då de nyttjar härskartekniker på Facebook. / The purpose of this study is to investigate the words and phrases that occur when suppression techniques are used on the social media Facebook. Quantitative and qualitative methods have been used to investigate how men and women between the ages of 25-65 have been exposed to suppression techniques ridicule, the infliction of guilt and shame, and the violence and threat of violence. The result shows that women are more often exposed to the suppression techniques than men. The suppression technique ridiculous is the most prevalent technique and downgrading is the category of characteristics of inappropriate language use that occurs most frequently. The conclusions that can be drawn from the survey are that women are still the ones who are most often exposed to suppression techniques and that younger people express rougher words and expressions when they use suppression techniques on Facebook.

This study involves an investigation into the use of satire and humour as strategies of communication. The poetry of four Tsonga poets selected for study includes these strategies which are investigated for the purpose of determining the extent to which they function as strategies of communication. The study consists of four chapters which can be summarized as follows: CHAPTER 1 contains the introduction, aim, scope and method of approach of the entire study. Theories and definitions of satire and humour are also presented here. In CHAPTER 2 the poems selected for study are analysed in terms of invective, subtle and light-hearted satire. CHAPTER 3 focuses attention on the style of presentation of comic and derisive humour. CHAPTER 4 highlights and elucidates the most significant findings of the study. The most competent poet of the four at using satire and humour is identified and his excellence declared and justified / African Languages / M.A. (African languages)

In this thesis I examine various theories of humor to establish an account of the functional roles of humor in social interaction and agentive development. These roles are integrated into a view of agency developed by G.H. Mead, and further refined by the recognition theory of Axel Honneth. The core thesis is: Humor is under-examined as an aspect of human interaction, because it plays such an integral role in individual agency and social development. Understanding how humor works helps to explain how agents are formed through the internalization of the expectations of others via processes of recognition, either positively or negatively. Through the explication of the core humor theories—superiority, relief, incongruity, and play—insight is offered into the various processes of basic human interaction, understanding, and identity. The work has theoretical application by proving Mead's and Honneth's emphasis on recognition for development is justified, while also correcting an overly positive view of recognition by outlining the social policing function of humor. But the thesis has also obvious practical value in day to day human interaction, as it shows that humor is able to address issues that are very difficult through other modes of communication and understanding. Humor’s role in agentive interaction and formation cannot be overstated, both as a mode of expression and coping, but also since the threat of embarrassment through ridicule underpins and motivates a great deal of human interaction. The negative ethical implications of the role of humor, which are often overlooked, are extensively outlined and developed through the conceptual frameworks of social power (punching-up and punching down) as well as act-centered vs. agent-centered views of discriminatory humor. The thesis offers and analyzes ready examples from the work of Chris Rock and Bill Cosby, and looks at the implications of each through the theoretical lenses fleshed out in previous chapters. Through this it is clearly demonstrated, not only how these theories interconnect, but as well how such knowledge is of obvious, and practical value in day-to-day human interaction.

This study involves an investigation into the use of satire and humour as strategies of communication. The poetry of four Tsonga poets selected for study includes these strategies which are investigated for the purpose of determining the extent to which they function as strategies of communication. The study consists of four chapters which can be summarized as follows: CHAPTER 1 contains the introduction, aim, scope and method of approach of the entire study. Theories and definitions of satire and humour are also presented here. In CHAPTER 2 the poems selected for study are analysed in terms of invective, subtle and light-hearted satire. CHAPTER 3 focuses attention on the style of presentation of comic and derisive humour. CHAPTER 4 highlights and elucidates the most significant findings of the study. The most competent poet of the four at using satire and humour is identified and his excellence declared and justified / African Languages / M.A. (African languages)