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ARTICLE

Laughing our Way to Peace or War:

Humour and Peacebuilding*
Craig Zelizer
Submitted: August 2010
Accepted: September 2010
Published: November 2010

Abstract

In conflict-affected societies, humour has significant potential to contribute to the escalation or reduction of conflicts.
This paper provides a multi-disciplinary approach to understanding the social role of humour in conflicted societies,
drawing on literature from social psychology, health and conflict resolution. The paper offers an analytical model regarding
the role of humour in peacebuilding in divided societies, as well as documenting several examples of the application of
humour and the opportunities and challenges to using humour in societies in conflict. Concrete roles that humour can
play are discussed, including as a tool to cope with violent conflict, humanizing or dehumanizing the other, bridge builder,
mobiliser, etc. Avenues for future research are also outlined.

Keywords
humour, conflict resolution, research, coping, peacebuilding, violent conflict, jokes

“If we can laugh together, we can live together”

Ray Hanania (2007), Member of the Israeli/Palestinian Comedy Tour
“It’s about releasing psychic tension through laughter”
Moshe Cohen, Founder of the US Branch of Clowns Without Borders (cited in Wroth, 2009)

Introduction Although humour has long been an important part of

conflict and conflict resolution, how it functions in conflict
Around the world today, the use of humour can play a affected societies or the role of humour in conflict reso-
critical role in building positive relations or potentially lution around the world has not been well studied until
inflaming conflicts. There are countless examples of now. This paper is designed to 1) explore what humour is
individuals and groups using jokes and humour in conflict and through which modalities it is expressed, 2) identify
settings as a means for survival. Comedy can help people relevant findings regarding the use of humour in settings
cope with the impact of conflict, be used as a tool for where more research has been carried out, such as health
building bridges across the conflict divide, or exacerbate care, and 3) give outlines of a preliminary research agenda
conflict by intentionally or unintentionally demonizing and framework for exploring, in more depth, the specific
others. role of humour in conflict resolution.

* This paper is based on a presentation at the 51st Annual International Studies Association Conference in New Orleans, LA. Special thanks go to Sigma Change, a 2nd year
Georgetown CR student who helped by providing extensive feedback.

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As a conflict resolution scholar and practitioner for al- b) the mental faculty of discovering, expressing, or ap-
most two decades, one of the issues that I have experienced preciating the ludicrous or absurdly incongruous;
in diverse societies around the world, particularly those in c) something that is or is designed to be comical or
the midst of severe conflict or recently emerging from con- amusing.
flict, is the use of black humour. To individuals from out-
side the conflict regions (and likely to some inside), some Humour doesn’t exist in and of itself, but has to be de-
of the jokes about violence, death and self-deprecation are livered through a number of possible mediums. These in-
shocking to hear. However, from my time in Colombia, clude informal conversations, jokes, plays, cartoons, music,
Bosnia-Herzegovina, Northern Ireland and other conflict films, and comedy. Humour can be something structured
affected areas, making fun of one’s own group and the “oth- and planned in advance, or something that emerges as a
er” is a frequent rite of passage. spontaneous reaction.
An especially memorable moment was during the In general, humour occurs within social interactions,
Sarajevo Film Festival in the summer of 2001, watching the and the context is critically important. According to Rod
premiere of the Bosnian Film, No Man’s Land with a crowd Martin (2007), a leading researcher in humour studies, hu-
of several thousand in an open-air cinema. The film later mour includes four key components:
won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. It provides
a humorous account of the Bosnian war, in which all sides, 1) a social context
the international community included, are equally the ob- 2) a cognitive perceptual process
ject of ridicule. For example, in the film a UN peacekeeper 3) an emotional response
is dispatched to aid in preventing conflict but explains: “We 4) the vocal-behavioural expression of laughter (p. 5)
are here to keep the peace but we are not allowed to do
anything or get involved” (Horton, 2006, p. 31). Watch- In many ways the process of humour is similar to a
ing thousands laugh at their own recent and tragic conflict standard communication approach where a message is de-
through a film, that made fun of all sides, and the absurdity livered to a recipient who then processes the information
of war, was quite a shocking and powerful moment. based on a particular relational and social context. One of
On another occasion, I attended a comedy show in the core aspects of humour and communication in general
Belfast where most of the humour was based on everyday is that the content of the message is not the only important
aspects of life in the country. It was interesting to watch component in play. The underlying motivation and tone
the audience and listen to the response to the aggressive of delivery and how the receiver interprets the materials
humour of this performance. At one point the comedian are also key factors in determining the potential positive or
pushed too far and the audience turned against his jokes. negative impact of humour.
His humour had crossed the line that was socially accept- For humour to have an impact and be effective, it gen-
able between making fun of others and being cruel. erally needs to occur within a context that helps to pro-
Apart from the individual or cultural use of humour in vide the additional meaning, or a cultural lens through
conflict affected societies, there are also countless examples which it can be interpreted. For example, many societies
of the use of humour to help break down conflict divisions, may choose specific professions to tell jokes as a way to try
to ensure that groups do not take themselves too seriously and challenge the power or status that professionals in that
or to help individuals cope with the tragedy of conflict by sector may have. In the United States, lawyers are often a
being able to laugh at themselves or their group. This in major target for jokes for a myriad of reasons. While jokes
turn can aid the healing process. Although by no means about lawyers in the US may elicit a response from many
does humour represent a magic solution for transforming audiences, a similar joke about lawyers in another cultural
conflicts, nor is does it always have benign impacts, the context may not elicit the desired response. Similarly in
subject deserves additional study. many severely conflict affected societies, joking about war,
violence or trauma may be something at least socially ac-
ceptable or tolerated, while these types of jokes might be
What Is Humour? seen as completely insensitive in societies that have not ex-
perienced widespread violence.
Humour has a number of definitions. For this paper The stages of humour can be expressed in the follow-
humour is defined as:1 ing sequence:

a) that quality which appeals to a sense of the ludicrous A particular social context exists (social conversation,
or absurdly incongruous; organisational, family interaction, political settings).

1 Definitions from Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved: February 9, 2010.

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The context involves a host of cultural norms and never been done before could generate this type of re-
embedded relationships that help to define how humour sponse. As Beeney (2009) explains “when there is a juxta-
will be expressed. The underlying intention behind the position of incongruous ideas, words, images, etc., humour
choice of content and tone are important factors. may be evoked” (p. 5).
Humour can also play an important role in helping to
▶
The humour is expressed by a particular party using fuel an emotional release. Often when people are nervous,
a specific means of delivery (a joke, ironic remark, laughter can be used to release anxiety. Or when a person
speech, etc.). or a group has had a particularly powerful and possibly
life-threatening experience, the use of humour or jokes can
▶

The receiving party or group processes the information help to release tension or emotions.
based on their own perceptions of the humorous
expression and context, as well as their own emotional
and mental state. Depending on these factors the Culture and humour
following may happen:
A core question in research on culture and conflict (Avruch,
▶

Often a behavioural response will arise, which 1998) is the extent to which expressions or sources of conflict
traditionally might be smiling or laughter (this can are universal as opposed to culture specific. Similarly, there has
be genuine or feigned). been extensive research regarding the relationship between
humour and culture. According to Peter Berger (1997), all
▶

If the humorous expression is taken to be offensive, the cultures in the world have humour. As he explains:
receiving party may respond with another humorous
reaction or set up conditions for future conflict. “Humour — that is, the capacity to perceive something
as being funny — is universal; there has been no human
This sequence provides a simplistic portrayal of the key culture without it. It can be regarded as a necessary
steps in a humorous encounter. These interactions can be constituent of humanity. At the same time, what strikes
direct where communication is interactive, or through more people as funny and what they do in order to provoke
distant media where the audience is not directly known to a humorous response differs enormously from age to
the originator of the humour. These indirect vehicles of age, and from society to society” (p. X).
humour include television, film, and some forms of new
media. Regardless of the particular type of relational inter- Thus, all groups appear to have the need or capacity to
action and means of delivery, how the social relationships experience humour as a means of creating in-group identity,
are embedded in larger cultural, economic, and political dy- making sense of unusual situations, and possibly as a coping
namics that often involve power issues are key factors. tool. Berger (1997) has developed the concept of Comic Cul-
In the discipline of humour studies, there are more ture, describing how a particular cultural grouping defines
than 100 theories to explain why humour exists and its role and operationalises humour. Comic culture can be applied
in social interactions. According to McCreaddie and Wig- to identity groups, but can also be specific to institutional
gins (2009), three of the dominant paradigms include: and organizational cultures, as they often develop their own
particular forms and expressions of humour. As McCread-
• social (superiority) die and Wiggins explain (2009), “Any setting, whether ori-
• cognitive-perceptual (incongruity) ented to health care, religion, social or family life, will have a
• or emotional (release) (p. 1080)2 unique comic culture related to the combination of person-
alities and circumstances involved” (p. 1094). For example
Humour as a form of social superiority involves the soldiers often develop their own type of humour, as do hu-
demonstration of moral superiority over another group or manitarian aid workers, and particularly groups that operate
self-disparagement (Swart, 2009). For example, in many in situations of extreme stress (Zimmerman, 2009).
conflicts, a dominant group will create jokes about the
group they are seeking to control or influence. Incongru-
ity or cognitive-perceptual humour is when something Health and humour
appears outside normal perceptions or knowledge and
through a rapid cognitive process, resulting in a humor- One of the fields in which widespread research on humour
ous reaction (Martin, 2007). Seeing a clown riding down has been conducted is within the health sector. Despite the
a street on a unicycle in a neighbourhood where this has widespread belief that there is a direct link between humour,

2 For a useful overview of humour and various theoretical explanations see L.L. Beeney (2009), The use and effects of humor in mediation.

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laughter and improved health, to date the research is less help groups to solidify in-group solidarity and exclude
than conclusive. Scholars have broken down the possible others. This can be a healthy form of bonding to some
health benefits of humour into direct and indirect benefits degree, as the process can facilitate a degree of safety and
(McCreaddie and Wiggins, 2009). trust among group members. Creating common jokes,
According to Rod Martin (2004), there are four pos- humorous stories, rituals and more can help to build
sible health benefits from humour that include: group cohesion and a sense of identity. As Srdan Vucetic
(2004) explains, “Jokes are ubiquitous social phenomena.
1) The physical benefits that result from laughing that Many jokes can be regarded as narratives that provide a
might include changes in the endocrine or immune way of locating both the narrator within their group and
systems (direct); that group’s relationship to other groups; that is, jokes
2) The positive emotional states that may accompany serve to situate the self within a particular social and
laughter (direct); political world.”
3) A moderation of the adverse effects of stress (indi- However, using humour to create in- and out-groups,
rect); can lead to the dehumanization of others and justify the
4) An increase in one’s level of social support (indirect) belief in the righteousness of one’s own group or cause.
(pp. 3-5). Similar to hate media, as conflicts escalate, the negativ-
ity of the humour used to demonise the other side will
Evidence providing strong correlations to direct health likely increase in both formal and informal settings. In the
benefits is still being debated (Martin, 2004). However, Rwandan genocide and other instances of mass violence,
there has been a strong push in recent years to integrate humour has been used against other groups to justify ac-
humour into diverse health care settings. These include tions of violence. For example, when violence broke out
training health care professionals in humour, using clowns over disputed presidential elections in Kenya in 2007, jokes
in hospitals, and encouraging the use of humour in the played a role in escalation of the violence. As Ms. Linda
workplace. There are also tangible outcomes for staff work- Ochiel, (cited in Quist-Arcon, 2008) Chief Human Rights
ing in stressful hospital settings, when the use of humour in Officer of the Kenyan National Commission on Human
the workplace is encouraged. Some of the benefits include Rights, comments:
building teams, managing difficult emotions and relieving “Members of Parliament and campaigners used a lot
situations (Dean and Major, 2008). of hate speech. They dehumanized communities, calling
them names, names of animals, or objects, using jokes that
were derogatory and making People look like they were
Why is humour important not human beings so that the killings - the killings that
have been happening went on for a long time. People kill-
in relationship to conflict? ing their neighbours because they have been dehuman-
ised. So it’s become very easy for them to kill people that
As previously highlighted, humour can play an important they know.”
role in conflict contexts, in fostering connections, helping In terms of monitoring conflict settings, attempts
groups cope with the affects of conflict, and ensuring groups could be made to examine the subject and content of jokes
do not take themselves too seriously. Using humour can in conflict settings. If there is a noticeable increase in the
sometimes provide a degree of safety for expressing difficult aggressiveness of jokes, in formal media and on the streets,
ideas or opinions. Similar to the benefits of using theatre or this could be a sign that conflict dynamics and polarisation
roles as a safe space to experiment with different perspectives are increasing.
on conflict (Zelizer, 2003), the use of humour can allow a
person or group to always claim that they are “just joking”
(Swart, 2009) if sensitive topics are being explored. Humour as a process tool
In the following section, the relationship of humour to
conflict is explored in relation to humour as a generator of
This is similar to cognitive-incongruity. The use of
conflict, as a tool for conflict resolution, as a form of social
humour in conflict settings can play an important role
protest, and as a contributor to healing.
in breaking the conflict cycle. There has been extensive
research about the use of humour in mediation settings
Humour as a generator of conflict and in negotiation. Much of this research has focused on
the technical use of humour to help interrupt or reframe
One of the core dynamics of conflicts, which has a conflict dynamics between the disputing parties (See Been
strong identity-based component, is that groups have 2009). Encouraging parties in conflict to laugh at the
a natural tendency to distinguish between in- and out- conflict or provide a humorous perspective on a frustrating
groups (Been, 2009; Swart, 2009). Using humour can situation can sometimes help reframe the dynamics of the

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conflict and allow space for progress to be made. According prisoner of war in Vietnam, shares why American soldiers
to Bercovitch (1984) and other negotiation scholars, a sense used humour in the Vietnam POW camps: “Laughter sets
of humour is also an important characteristic of effective the spirit free through even the most tragic circumstances.
international negotiators. It helps us shake our heads clear, get our feet back under us
As Been (2009) summarizes the research on humour and restore our sense of balance. Humour is integral to our
and mediation: “Humour can be used to break the ice be- peace of mind and our ability to go beyond survival.”
tween strangers, to diffuse tension between agitated in-
dividuals, to insult and tease, to remind a group of their Relationship building
shared social experience, to soften the blow of an insult, or
it can be used to sting and make a swipe at someone” (p. 9). One of the challenges in conflicts is trying to create spaces
One of the challenges in using humour as part of a conflict where groups can interact with each other across the divide.
resolution process is to ensure that the timing and context There are a host of processes that have been used to foster
are appropriate. relationship building, ranging from conflict resolution
In addition, humour can play an important role in training, to sports, arts and education. Humour could also
more traditional conflict resolution processes in develop- be a potential tool for engaging groups.
ing societies. According to research conducted by Mark To date, research in this area has been very limited,
Davidheiser (2006) in the Gambia, joking relationships while the practice of using humour as a driving tool for
and humour play a vital role in providing a space and bringing groups together is only slightly more widespread.
process to address social conflicts. As he explains “The rit- There are several examples in this area, for example the
ual space created through joking relations and their social Israeli-Palestinian Comedy Tour, with four US born come-
capital make them effective even in cases resistant to other dians from different backgrounds, who have performed in
mediation attempts” (p. 848). Thus, in some cultures, hu- many different countries. Their goal “is to make us laugh,
mour itself may be an appropriate tool for bringing parties to help us realize the foolishness of violence, and to reflect
in conflict together. on our situations” (Batruni, 2009).
This type of work can also be done at a macro level, by The Cartooning in Conflict Exhibit is a travelling
providing an opportunity for groups to challenge some of exhibition that questions the conflict that is taking place
the assumptions they hold about the conflict, or about the between the two sides, and has been exhibited in several
other side. The goal is often to foster or explore a different locations around the world including Israel, Spain, the
approach to understanding conflict, by providing a differ- UK and the US. Robi Damelin (cited in Donelly, 2009)
ent perspective. Thus humour can be integrated into a wide tells how one of the key organisers describes the work:
variety of conflict resolution processes, such as dialogue, “Their art illustrates the destructive absurdity of the Pal-
facilitation and negotiations. estinian-Israeli conflict and, more importantly, serves as
a catalyst for hope by imagining a path to reconciliation
Healing humour and peace.”

Humour can be used to help groups deal with tensions,

release frustrations and also heal mental and emotional Social protest
wounds. The use of humour for releasing emotions that
have built up as a result of conflicts can be particularly In addition to those listed above, the fourth possible role
important to help groups cope and maintain their sanity. for humour is that it can play an active role in resisting
Exploring humour, through jokes, using funny skits, oppression and challenging the conflict dynamic.
movies, films or other media, can be an excellent tool to According to Majken Jul Sorensen (2008), the use of
help groups that have suffered from conflict begin to heal humour in the nonviolent Otpor movement in Serbia that
and to laugh again. challenged the rule of Slobodan Milosevic had a critical
One of the most well-known groups promoting this role in several areas including:
type of activity as a form of creative therapy or artistic inter-
vention is the Clowns Without Borders organisation. The a) Facilitating outreach and mobilisation;
group was founded over 10 years ago and has performed b) Facilitating a culture of resistance within the resist-
in over 300 locations around the world, and reached over ance movement — building solidarity and strength-
1,000,000 people (Wroth, 2009). As Moshe Cohen, the ening the individual’s capacity for participating in
founder of the US Branch explains, “It’s about releasing resistance;
psychic tension through laughter” (Wroth, 2009). c) Turning oppression upside down (pp. 175-181).
In many war settings, and instances when individu-
als face dire circumstances, humour can provide a lifeline. There is extensive research indicating that, in times of
Gerald Coffee (cited in Wooten and Dunkelblau, 2001), a severe conflict, humour can be used to resist. As humour

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researcher Don Nilsen (cited in Hartill, 2005) comments Figure 2. Stages of conflict and humour
about the Jews in World War II, “The humour used by the
Jews in Nazi concentration camps allowed the Jews to take
a little bit of control of their own lives.”

Potential framework
for humour in conflict
regions

Based on the exploration of humour and its various roles,

a preliminary framework for examining the relationship
of humour and conflict in communal settings is provided
below.

Figure 1. General categories of humour and conflict resolution (adapted

from Zelizer, 2003)

Relationship to
Approach Example
conflict resolution
Future research
Use of humour
Can address
to help explore
or challenge
substance and/or This paper is designed to provide a preliminary overview
Intervention Based relationship of some of the key aspects of humour and conflict. Given
assumptions around
components of a
specific conflict
conflict. the limited research on the role of humour in conflict,
related issues.
particularly in terms of healing, social protest and
Using humour relationship building, there are several areas of potential
Creating Group to demonstrate Can lead to conflict future research that are outlined below.
Divisions superiority or escalation.
power relations.

Use of humour
Humour as a peacebuilding tool
based processes Addresses relational
Relationship Based to help facilitate component of Given the use of humour in conflict regions, what is the
relationship peacebuilding. potential for humour based interactions to contribute
building.
to peacebuilding or positive interactions? Under what
Use of Humour
Help to mobilise
conditions will humour facilitate positive change in
in social protests conflicted parties? When might humour or some
community to take
Social Protest against violence,
aggression or
action, more activist expressions of humour be inappropriate and backfire,
in nature.
oppression. causing more harm than good? Can comedians or other
Individual level
types of humour-based actors be used within peacebuilding
Clowning or other healing, help to more effectively? How can humour more effectively be
Healing Humour forms of humour re-integrate people integrated into the work of peacebuilders?
based activities. into community.
Provide a safe space.
Collecting jokes and other expressions
of humour
The categories presented above are somewhat arbitrary
and there can be significant overlap between them, as hu- Despite the widespread use of humour as a tool for dealing
mour based processes that are designed to protest against and coping with conflict, there is a lack of information
a conflict may also have an intervention focus. However, regarding the types of jokes and humour that are being used
they do serve as a useful analytical tool to begin distin- in conflict regions. How about: To help facilitate learning
guishing the types and purpose of different humour based- across different cases, a finer understanding of humour in
based processes. conflict regions is needed, of its contents and most frequent
The next figure shows the particular roles of humour at uses, and how it varies among groups and depends on
different stages of the conflict. power relationships.

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Humour as a healing agent by themselves can be an intervention process. Is it possible

to have examples of Comedians for Peace, or Humour for
Within the field of peacebuiding and psychosocial work, Peace that have resulted directly in some type of intervention
humour is being widely used as a tool or process to facilitate or behavioural change in a conflict context?
healing among groups that have suffered from conflict.
What are the tangible short and long-term results from
these efforts? When is it appropriate to use humour with Conclusion
groups and when might it cause harm? How can humour
also be used as a self-care tool for practitioners? This paper provides a brief overview of some of the key
dynamics regarding humour in the context of conflict.
Training practitioners Although there is extensive literature on the role of humour
in society, healing and other sectors, the exploration of
Are peacebuilding practitioners and students being taught humour in peacebuilding and conflict resolution to date is
about the potential role of humour in trainings or the more limited. There is a need for additional research and
classroom? What are the gaps in curricula and learning? exploration. The two models outlined in the paper can help
to guide future research as a starting point. Humour is by
Developing a greater understanding of no means a panacea for resolving conflicts, however, it is
the medium of humour in conflict regions clear that it can play a positive role in a number of contexts
and is worthy of additional exploration. As a member of the
One of the first avenues of research could be to explore the audience commented after watching the Israeli-Palestinian
most frequently used medium of humour in conflict regions Comedy Tour perform in Israel, “Comedy can lighten up
and collect examples from a number of countries. There is dialogue between people who otherwise would not be able
also the question of the degree to which humour processes to speak in the same way” (Audience 2007).

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Recommended citation
ZELIZER, Craig (2010). “Laughing our Way to Peace or War: Humour and Peacebuilding” [online article].
Journal of Conflictology. Vol. 1, Iss. 2. Campus for Peace, UOC. [Consulted: dd/mm/yy].

<http://www.uoc.edu/ojs/index.php/journal-of-conflictology/article/view/vol1iss2-zelizer/vol1iss2-zelizer>

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http://journal-of-conflictology.uoc.edu Craig Zelizer Laughing our Way to Peace or War: Humour…

About the author

Craig Zelizer
cz52@georgetown.edu

Dr. Craig Zelizer is Associate Director of the MA in Conflict Resolution within the Department of Government
at Georgetown University. He was one of the co-founders and a senior partner in the Alliance for Conflict
Transformation and is the founder of the Peace and Collaborative Development Network.

JOURNAL OF CONFLICTOLOGY, Volume 1, Issue 2 (2010) ISSN 2013-8857 9