UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State School of International Affairs (SIA) is hosting a talk with two Penn State professors who will speak about the use and effectiveness of humor for political dissent.
"This isn't funny: How humor helps advance freedom in times of crisis" will take place at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 25, in the Greg Sutliff Auditorium, Lewis Katz Building, University Park. This event is free and open to the public, and also will be livestreamed via Zoom.
The speakers are Sophia McClennen, professor of international affairs and comparative literature and director of the Center for Global Studies, and Joseph Wright, professor of political science.
McClennen and Wright will draw on their collaborative research to show how laughter can help expose authoritarian absurdities, sustain civic engagement, and lower the costs of dissent when traditional forms of opposition are dangerous or blocked. While humor may not be the perfect foil for repression in every circumstance, they argue, their work challenges the idea that resistance must always be solemn — and makes the case that humor can be one of democracy’s most resilient defenses.
This event is sponsored by the Central PA chapter of the ACLU, the Penn State Center for Global Studies, and the Penn State School of International Affairs.