Humour in Asian Cultures

This innovative book traces the impact of tradition on modern humour across several Asian countries and their cultures. Using examples from Japan, Korea, Indonesia and Chinese cultures in Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, the contributors explore the different cultural rules for creating and sharing humour.

Humour can be a powerful lubricant when correctly interpreted; mis-interpreted, it is likely to cause considerable setbacks. Over time, it has emerged and submerged in different periods and different forms in all these countries but today?s conventions still reflect traditional attitudes to and assumptions about what is appropriate in creating and using humour. Under close examination, Milner Davis and her colleagues show how forms and conventions that differ from those in the west can also be seen to possess elements in common. With examples including Mencian and other classical texts, Balinese traditional verbal humour, Korean and Taiwanese workplace humour, Japanese laughter ceremonies, performances and cartoons, as well as contemporary Chinese-language films and videos, they engage with a wide range of forms and traditions.

This fascinating collection of studies will be of great interest to students and scholars of many Asian cultures, and also to those with a broader interest in humour studies. It highlights the increasing importance of understanding a wider range of cultural values in the present era of globalized communication and the importance of reliable studies of why and how cultures that are geographically related differ in their traditional uses of and assumptions about humour.

 "What amuses people across time, geography, and cultures is never easy to define and thus usually ignored in scholarship. On the heels of her numerous volumes analyzing what entertains us across borders, Milner Davis? new edited book brings measured insight, illuminating rarely seen worlds of how we enjoy ourselves. She does this with verve and style by digging into areas not generally viewed as centres of entertainment and comedy and by covering a wide range of Asian cultures both past and present to reveal their links."

Barak Kushner, Professor of East Asian History, University of Cambridge, UK 

?This book offers a valuable exploration of humour in Asia, an understudied area in English-language scholarship. Humour in Asian Cultures comes highly recommended for open-minded and inquisitive readers with an interest in humour practices and traditions in Asia.?

Yung-Hang Bruce Lai, Asian Studies Review, UK

"Humour in Asian Cultures is a rich and diverse collection. These well-researched studies of Balinese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese, and Hong Kong humour traditions are full of revelations, from Granny Mischief to the true meaning of "head like a taro", "eating sugarcane", and "SPL". And perhaps the most sublime joke is that, as a student, its eminent editor first visited Asia on the dime of the CIA."

Christopher Rea, University of British Columbia, author of  The Age of Irreverence: A New History of Laughter in China (California UP, 2015), Canada

"To understand the humour of another culture is to grasp its essence and the subtleties of interplay between individuals and communities. This ground-breaking book throws light on the extraordinary range of humour expression in a region of complexity and rapid transformation. Some forms draw on centuries-old cultural heritage, others emerge from the new media scenes and reflect social transitions. From ancient Chinese philosophy and traditional Balinese folk drama to Korean workplace banter and Hong Kong reality TV and much else besides, this volume offers vignettes of humour in various social settings with informed analysis and commentary from acknowledged experts in their fields. The introductory chapter by Jessica Milner Davis places the work in the context of global humour studies, highlighting the interplay between continuity and change.

While much scholarship that claims to be international or cross-cultural is in fact restricted to North America and Europe, this book extends intellectual horizons to include East and South-East Asia. This edited volume will be of interest to Asian Studies and Humour Studies scholars alike, and also has much to offer the general reader who is interested to gain insights into the cultures of these fast-developing regions."

Jocelyn Chey, Visiting Professor, University of Sydney, Australia

"this book presents different types of Asian humour in a variety of Asian
countries and regions, which provides us with an invaluable opportunity to recognise and
appreciate colourful Asian humour and culture. It also serves as an excellent platform for the
exchange of humour and culture, whilst it is also conducive to the preservation and
dissemination of the art of humour in Asian countries."

Tianli Zhou, Universiti Putra Malaysia in The European Journal of Humour Research 11 (1) 246-250, Malaysia

"An inspiring and eye-opening volume based on solid methodological ground with interesting examples taken from six different places: Japan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia and South Korea ?.. a sneak peek into these different Asian countries and their various forms of humor."

Dorota Brzozowska, Institute of Linguistics, University of Opole, Opole, Poland