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Research output: Thesis › Doctoral Thesis
Research output: Thesis › Doctoral Thesis
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TY - BOOK
T1 - Something to declare
T2 - immigrants' stand-up comedy in the UK
AU - Baram, Daphna
PY - 2025
Y1 - 2025
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
U2 - 10.17635/lancaster/thesis/2899
DO - 10.17635/lancaster/thesis/2899
M3 - Doctoral Thesis
PB - Lancaster University
ER -