The sacred comedy: The problems and possibilities of Peter Berger's Theory of Humor
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David Feltmate
David Feltmate , PhD is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Auburn University at Montgomery where he studies the sociologies of religion, humor, popular culture, and knowledge. He has published other articles on religion and humor in popular culture inReligion Compass ,Journal of Religion and Popular Culture , andThe Journal of the American Academy of Religion and is currently working on a book length study of religion and humor inThe Simpsons ,South Park , andFamily Guy .
Abstract
Peter Berger is one of the world's best known sociologists of religion, having made significant contributions to the theories of the social construction of religious worlds and secularization theory. He is also a lay theologian who has never been shy about putting forth his religious interpretations of modernity and combining his theological concerns with his sociological insights. This article considers the role of humor in Berger's overarching theoretical framework, demonstrating its consistency over a thirty-six year period in his writings from The Precarious Vision (1961) to Redeeming Laughter (1997). After outlining his theory, Berger's arguments are criticized for their theological elements and a corrective is offered from the sociologies of humor and knowledge. The article concludes with a consideration of Berger's potential contributions to a sociology of religious humor and an invitation to future research on the topic.
About the author
David Feltmate, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Auburn University at Montgomery where he studies the sociologies of religion, humor, popular culture, and knowledge. He has published other articles on religion and humor in popular culture in Religion Compass, Journal of Religion and Popular Culture, and The Journal of the American Academy of Religion and is currently working on a book length study of religion and humor in The Simpsons, South Park, and Family Guy.
©[2013] by Walter de Gruyter Berlin Boston
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Masthead
- Joking in the face of death: A terror management approach to humor production
- Getting dirty with humor: Co-constructing workplace identities through performative scripts
- The sacred comedy: The problems and possibilities of Peter Berger's Theory of Humor
- Affinity for political humor: An assessment of internal factor structure, reliability, and validity
- How adaptive and maladaptive humor influence well-being at work: A diary study
- Humor styles, risk perceptions, and risky behavioral choices in college students
- The impact of gelotophobia, gelotophilia and katagelasticism on creativity
- An existentialist account of the role of humor against oppression
- >Book review
- Book review
- Book review
- Book review
- Book review
- Book review
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Masthead
- Joking in the face of death: A terror management approach to humor production
- Getting dirty with humor: Co-constructing workplace identities through performative scripts
- The sacred comedy: The problems and possibilities of Peter Berger's Theory of Humor
- Affinity for political humor: An assessment of internal factor structure, reliability, and validity
- How adaptive and maladaptive humor influence well-being at work: A diary study
- Humor styles, risk perceptions, and risky behavioral choices in college students
- The impact of gelotophobia, gelotophilia and katagelasticism on creativity
- An existentialist account of the role of humor against oppression
- >Book review
- Book review
- Book review
- Book review
- Book review
- Book review
