Startseite “I haven’t heard anything about religion whatsoever”: Audience perceptions of anti-Muslim racism in Sacha Baron Cohen’s The Dictator
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“I haven’t heard anything about religion whatsoever”: Audience perceptions of anti-Muslim racism in Sacha Baron Cohen’s The Dictator

  • Simon Weaver

    Simon Weaver is a Lecturer in Media and Communications in the Department of Social Sciences, Media and Communications at Brunel University London. He completed his PhD in the Department of Sociology, University of Bristol, with a thesis entitled “Humour, Rhetoric and Racism: A Sociological Critique of Racist Humour” (2007). Simon has published on racist humour in number of journals and in his book The Rhetoric of Racist Humour (2011).

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    und Lindsey Bradley

    Lindsey Bradley worked as a Research Assistant on the project ‘Examining “Race”, Racism and Representation: An audience reception study of the comedy of Sacha Baron Cohen’ in the Sociology and Communications section of the Department of Social Sciences, Media and Communications at Brunel University London.

Veröffentlicht/Copyright: 7. April 2016
HUMOR
Aus der Zeitschrift HUMOR Band 29 Heft 2

Abstract

Since the late 1990s, Sacha Baron Cohen’s characters have raised controversy, criticism and protest from various groups (for example, from Black activists in 2002 and Hasidic Jews in 2012). The comedy has also been described as satirical or anti-racist. Baron Cohen, as either Ali G, Borat, Bruno, or General Aladeen, has consistently provided comedy that leads to public debate on the relationship between comedy and race, ethnicity and stereotype, and the nature of racism and “othering” in comedy. Despite this tendency, very little research has been conducted on how audiences receive the comedy. We present results from a recent focus group, audience reception study of the comedy of Baron Cohen, which recorded discourse from young people aged 18–29 years (n 49). The article examines the perceptions of Islamophobia or anti-Muslim racism in the comedy, focusing on The Dictator. Four discourses are outlined from the focus groups. First, discussions that show agreement in the focus group and argue the comedy is Islamophobic or anti-Muslim; second, discussions that show disagreement in the focus group over the presence of Islamophobic or anti-Muslim content; third, discussions that view no, or almost no, signifiers in the comedy that denote either Islam as a religion or Muslims as an ethnic group; and forth, one example that suggests the comedy uses signifiers of the “other” for ironic satire. These conversations are analysed through rhetorical discourse analysis to highlight the tropes that construct meaning in each.

About the authors

Simon Weaver

Simon Weaver is a Lecturer in Media and Communications in the Department of Social Sciences, Media and Communications at Brunel University London. He completed his PhD in the Department of Sociology, University of Bristol, with a thesis entitled “Humour, Rhetoric and Racism: A Sociological Critique of Racist Humour” (2007). Simon has published on racist humour in number of journals and in his book The Rhetoric of Racist Humour (2011).

Lindsey Bradley

Lindsey Bradley worked as a Research Assistant on the project ‘Examining “Race”, Racism and Representation: An audience reception study of the comedy of Sacha Baron Cohen’ in the Sociology and Communications section of the Department of Social Sciences, Media and Communications at Brunel University London.

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Appendix: Questions for focus groups

Borat

  1. Do you find the character funny/offensive? Why?

  2. Is ethnicity/nationality a key component of this humor?

  3. What did you think of the depiction of Jewish people in this clip?

  4. Is there anything else you would like to say about this character?

General Aladeen

  1. Do you find the character funny/offensive? Why?

  2. What observations are being made on rulers in that part of the world?

  3. Do you think ethnicity/race plays a key part in the scene? Why?

  4. Is there anything else you would like to say about this character?

Ali G

  1. Do you find the character funny/offensive? Why?

  2. What observations are being made on youth culture in this comedy?

  3. Do you think race/ethnicity plays a key part in the scene? Why?

  4. Is there anything else you would like to say about this character?

Bruno

  1. Do you find the character funny/offensive? Why?

  2. Bruno is depicted as gay. Do you think this helps or hinders the comedy?

  3. Do you think race/ethnicity/nationality play a key part in the scene? Why?

  4. Is there anything else you would like to say about this character?

And finally

  1. We have examined these films in a critical context. Would you enjoy these films with friends or on your own?

  2. What type of comedy or humour do you like or dislike?

Published Online: 2016-4-7
Published in Print: 2016-5-1

©2016 by De Gruyter Mouton

Heruntergeladen am 8.9.2025 von https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/humor-2015-0044/html
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