On October 17, 2024, Dr. Mostafa Abedinifard, Assistant Professor at UBC, delivered a keynote speech titled The Pitfalls and Promises of Humour in Advancing Social Justice at the 10th Annual Conference of the Wits Centre for Diversity Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. The conference, attended by scholars from around the world, explored humour’s role in both challenging and reinforcing societal norms, particularly in the context of social justice.
“Ridicule can push individuals to conform to societal expectations through fear of embarrassment and shame,” Dr. Abedinifard explained, emphasizing humour’s role in maintaining social order. He argued that while humour is more frequently than not celebrated for its subversive potential, in practice, it is far more effective at reinforcing existing societal norms than in meaningfully challenging them. He shared a personal childhood story about racist humour to illustrate how ridiculing humour that endorses hegemonic norms can perpetuate harmful stereotypes, while counter-discourse humour often struggles to neutralize such harm.
However, Dr. Abedinifard also acknowledged the value of subversive humour in fostering solidarity within marginalized groups. While humour alone may not drive societal change, he emphasized, it plays an important role in building resilience and community. Nevertheless, “real transformation,” he stated, “comes through serious conversations about human dignity, equality, and justice.”
To underscore his argument, Dr. Abedinifard introduced his four-zone theoretical Norm-Referencing Humour Impact Model for evaluating the reception and impact of norm-referencing humour. This model assesses two key variables: the hegemonic weight of the norms being referenced in the humour and the situational factors influencing its delivery and reception. Through examples of verbal jokes, he demonstrated how the model predicts whether humour will reinforce or subvert societal norms.
Dr. Abedinifard concluded by highlighting the limitations of humour in driving societal change. While humour can effectively reinforce in-group solidarity, it must be accompanied by serious discourse for lasting impact. “We shouldn’t place too much hope in humour to achieve lasting societal transformation,” he noted. “It’s a valuable tool, but its potential relies heavily on both the context in which it is used and the hegemonic weight of the norms it either supports or hopes to challenge.”
The full program of the conference is available here.
