"If I had no sense of humor, I should long ago have committed suicide," wrote
the late Mahatma Gandhi, expressing the potent power of humor to sustain and
uplift. Less obvious is humor s ability to operate as a cunning weapon in nonviolent
protest movements. Over the last few decades, activists are increasingly
incorporating subversive laughter in their protest repertoires, realizing the ways
in which it challenges the ruling elite s propaganda, defuses antagonism, and
inspires both participants and the greater population.
In this highly original and engaging work,...