Stand-up Comedy, Theology, and Ethics - (Theology, Religion, and Pop Culture) by Jacob D Myers & Nicole Graham (Hardcover)

About the Book

This book highlights the theological, religious, and ethical significance of contemporary stand-up comedy.

Book Synopsis

Bringing together the distinct but connected disciplines of theology and ethics, Stand-up Comedy, Theology, and Ethics adds to the growing field of humor and religion.
Beginning by re-considering what we know about jokes and laughter, the authors propose that more attention needs to be paid to the quasi-sacramental, magical quality of jokes and the ways laughter can shift the affective states of an audience. They then turn their attention to key issues and debates within stand-up comedy. First, is the comical legitimacy or illegitimacy of comedians who employ humor ambiguously so that we are not sure at who or what they are "punching". Second, is the phenomenon of canceling comedians for their behavior off stage. Third, is the sociopolitical possibilities of stand-up. Ultimately, the authors argue that there is theological, religious, and ethical significance to contemporary stand-up comedy.

Review Quotes

Stand-up Comedy, Theology, and Ethics performs the essential comic act: it brings together what seems unrelated and shows the intrinsic relation that existed there all along. After reading this remarkable book, one will never think about stand-up comedy, theology, or ethics the same way again because one will never think of them without some reference to each other. It is a game-changer for understanding each field that it touches. One will never be able to hear a stand-up comic without thinking of God or listen to a theologian without (silently perhaps) laughing.
Todd McGowan, Professor in English, University of Vermont, USA

Theoretically astute and eminently readable, Stand-up Comedy, Theology, and Ethicsoffers new ways of thinking about the social work of humor (even for those of us who aren't especially religiously minded). At its best, the book draws connections between age-old theological concerns-like faith, heresy and even transubstantiation-to shed new light on contemporary comic conflicts around cancel culture, comic offence, and the political potential of stand-up comedy. For those interested in exploring the positive and productive power of comedy, this book provides a new language for articulating humor as an ethical force for building community.
Nicholas Holm, Associate Professor in Media Studies, Massey University, New Zealand

Who would guess that the church's amen might reverberate in the laughter of a comedy club? The theologian and the stand-up would! This fascinating book guides us along a comedic path to the transcendent. Humor can sow the seeds of cruelty. But it can also spark visions for new ways of being and spur social change. The cultivation of communities amongst difference allows those who laugh together, rather than at others, to conjure visions of how things should be. Myers and Graham draw masterfully on philosophers, theorists, and comedians to offer a contribution to the field of humor and religion that is at once profound and fun.
Cynthia Willett, Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Philosophy, Emory University, USA; co-author of Uproarious: How Feminists and Other Subversive Comics Speak Truth

About the Author

Jacob D. Myers is Wade P. Huie, Jr. Associate Professor of Homiletics at Columbia Theological Seminary.
Nicole Graham is Lecturer in Ethics and Values at King's College London, UK.