Abstract
As many social movements demonstrate, humor can serve as an important resource to resist oppression, fight social injustice and bring social change. Existing research has focused on humor’s role within social movements and its positive effects on the free expression of criticism, reduction of fear, communication, mobilization of participants and so on. However, the current literature on the activist use of humor also expresses some reservations about its political efficacy. While humor may steam off the energy necessary to counteract oppression and injustice, other tools of achieving the same political ends have been successfully deployed, primarily social media. Building upon this research, the present case study explores the 2016 Macedonian social movement called the Colorful Revolution. In particular, through the analysis of social media and activists’ reflection on the political use of humor, this case study examines how on-line humor contributed to the emergence and development of the movement. Factoring in activists’ opinions on the role of humor in society and especially in movements, while also paying attention to the role of social media, this case study tends to re-interpret the role of humor in the totality of the actions and circumstances underpinning the development of a social movement.
Portions of the work were completed while the author had worked at the Institute of Social Sciences and Humanities – Skopje, Macedonia
About the author
Aleksandar Takovski is a researcher and an Assistant Professor currently affiliated with the AAB College, Kosovo. His research interest spans across several areas such as political discourse, political, ethnic and instructional humour, landscape and social semiotics, and multimodal language teaching. He has published two monographs, on literary humour and semiotics of advertising and has co-authored a book of children’s stories. Email: a.takovski@gmail.com.
Appendix 1: List of electronic resources
Latin sources
#ColorfulRevolution, English language tweeter hashtag of the movement, available at
https://twitter.com/search?src=typd&q=%23ColorfulRevolution;
Skopje 2014, Google images of the project, available at:
Cyrillic sources
#Протестирам [I protest], Tweeter hashtag of the informal protest group preceding and fusing into Colorful Revolution, available at
Шарена револуција [Colorful Revolution], official Facebook page, available at
https://www.facebook.com/ColorfulMacedonia/
#ШаренаРеволуција [#Col0urful Revolution], Macedonian language tweeter hashtag of the movement, available at
Annex 1: List of interview questions
What were the motives and ends to create and use humor? Did it accomplish the expected ends? Were there any obstacles?
What are the functions of political humor created and used by civil activists like yourself?
What circumstances facilitate or inhibit the effects of humor? Is there more humor occurring before movement or during?
What other tools, besides humor, are used by social movements towards the accomplishment of the movements ends? How does humor relate to these other means? What is its unique value?
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