“JOKING IS NECESSARY IN ORDER TO DO SERIOUS BUSINESS”: LAUGHTER PRACTICES IN MAGNITOGORSK IN THE 1930s - EARLY 1940s

Abstract

The history of humor is not new for Russian historiography. Modern historians often turn to the study of laughter practices, including in line with the study of the history of emotions. The authors offer an example of studying laughter practices in the local space of the city of Magnitogorsk during its construction. Based on various sources, the article examines laughter practices that are formed and operate on the territory of the city in conditions of unstable socio-economic development and lack of infrastructure. The main attention is paid to the culture of laughter and the formed emotions in relation to the construction, formation and functioning of Magnitogorsk and the construction of a metallurgical plant. The study identifies and characterizes the periods of development of laughter practices in the city, shows the evolution of humor. The first period is highlighted, which became the stage of the formation of laughter practices based on "guest" humor, represented by the work of professional metropolitan journalists of the Krokodil publishing house. Emphasis is placed on the features of the formation of Magnitogorsk laughter practices. Special attention is paid to the forms of humor, the theme of humorous sketches and the functions it performs. At the intersection of professional "guest" and everyday local humor, the causality and direction of laughter practices become obvious.