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  • 2025PhDBaram

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Something to declare: immigrants' stand-up comedy in the UK

Research output: ThesisDoctoral Thesis

Published
Publication date2025
Number of pages209
QualificationPhD
Awarding Institution
Supervisors/Advisors
Thesis sponsors
  • Full scholarship NWCDTP
Publisher
  • Lancaster University
<mark>Original language</mark>English

Abstract

This thesis examines how first-generation immigrant stand-up comedians negotiate and communicate their identities and messages to predominantly British audiences while performing in the UK. Since the 2010s, immigrant comedians have become increasingly visible on the British comedy circuit. This research, using an ethnographic approach, explores how socio-political events—such as the 2007 financial crisis, the lead-up to Brexit, and its aftermath—have shaped the strategies these comedians use to engage with their audiences. It shows that immigrant-comedians devise unique negotiation strategies with their British audiences. The study draws on post-colonial theory, Emmanuel Levinas' concept of the Other's "face" in identity formation, and Pierre Bourdieu's ideas of cultural capital and habitus, particularly in relation to nationality and class. Through this lens, the thesis reveals how immigrant comedians navigate a deeply rooted British comedic tradition, using humour as a tool to carve out a sense of belonging, one joke at a time.