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The democratic roles of satirists
Mid Sweden University, Faculty of Science, Technology and Media, Department of Media and Communication Science.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-3015-7423
Mid Sweden University, Faculty of Human Sciences, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-3386-4396
2021 (English)In: Popular Communication, ISSN 1540-5702, E-ISSN 1540-5710, Vol. 19, no 4, p. 281-294Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

In the high-choice media landscape, satire has the potential to help news and politics break through information apathy barriers and reinvigorate democratic debate. While scholarly attention to the genre of satire has increased, interest in satirists themselves has been sparse. Using a theory of non-deliberative forms of public discourse and the idea of role conceptions, this study presents an analysis of interviews with Swedish satirists working in broadcasting media. Results showed that being Eye-openers and Questioners – meaning providing alternative perspectives and problematizing societal norms – were the primary contributions of satire, according to satirists. There were differing roles to take on when it came to social bonding and solidarity: Unifier, where the aim was to be bridge-building in a polarized debate, and Divider, where the main focus was to inspire critical thinking and foster independence from consensus. The role elements Reporter, Explainer and Solver were also introduced and discussed.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2021. Vol. 19, no 4, p. 281-294
Keywords [en]
political satire, comedy, deliberative democracy, role conception, public debate, political humor
National Category
Media and Communications
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:miun:diva-42138DOI: 10.1080/15405702.2021.1929995ISI: 000656349500001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85107380727OAI: oai:DiVA.org:miun-42138DiVA, id: diva2:1560595
Available from: 2021-06-04 Created: 2021-06-04 Last updated: 2025-02-07Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. Jester, journalist, or just jerk? The roles of political comedians in societal debate
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Jester, journalist, or just jerk? The roles of political comedians in societal debate
2021 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

Where does the political comedian fit on the spectrum of societal debate? Comedy has gained legitimacy in academia in recent decades as a non-serious communication form worth taking seriously. But in the personalized, high-choice hybrid media landscape, what roles do comedians inhabit? This dissertation explores this topic via five studies detailed in articles produced for publication in scientific journals. The articles employ frameworks such as humor functions, role conceptions, media framing, boundary work, non-deliberative media discourse, and moral theory, and utilize qualitative content analysis, quantitative content analysis, and qualitative interviews, to investigate empirical examples collected from Swedish and Finnish contexts. The dissertation also includes an introductory chapter that summarizes and discusses the results of the five studies and presents the empirical and theoretical contributions of the dissertation. 

Several roles of political comedians are introduced, based on political intent and their tendency to challenge norms, where the main ones have been established as Unifier, Advocate, Entertainer, Explainer, Provocateur, Questioner, and Eye-opener. The roles should be seen as role performance elements that are somewhat fluid and contextual. In addition, three role clusters, or broad comedic dispositions, are discussed. The first is the jester-type comedian, represented by the Entertainer, the Unifier, and the Advocate. These comedians are practitioners of a more benign, light-hearted form of political comedy, and they focus on creating mirth and social bonding. 

The genre of journalistic news satire is defined and explored as the second role cluster, and the genre is represented by the Unifier, who aims to connect people in laughter, the Explainer, who wants to explain complex news issues from a specific point of view, and the Questioner, who audits power and challenges groupthink. Finally, the third role cluster is personified by the troublemaker or jerk, who either enjoys being a Provocateur simply for provocation itself, takes on the role of persistent Questioner, or, if the political intent is stronger, embodies the Eye-opener, aspiring to influence the audience to see things differently.

Contexts, implications, and limitations are discussed.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Sundsvall: Mid Sweden University, 2021. p. 34
Series
Mid Sweden University doctoral thesis, ISSN 1652-893X ; 350
Keywords
Political comedy, satire, role conceptions, framing, humor studies, entertainment
National Category
Media and Communications
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:miun:diva-43001 (URN)978-91-89341-22-7 (ISBN)
Public defence
2021-10-08, C312, Holmgatan 10, Sundsvall, 10:00 (English)
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Supervisors
Available from: 2021-09-13 Created: 2021-09-10 Last updated: 2025-02-07Bibliographically approved

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Ödmark, SaraHarvard, Jonas

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