The Year’s Work in American Humor Studies, 2021

Abstract

A funny thing happened on the way to this essay–we decided to eliminate over one hundred possible entries! Why would we do such a thing? Because, dear reader, the scholarship in humor studies published in 2021 is an embarrassment of riches. Across and within disciplines, scholars are exploring fascinating questions related to humor in diverse contexts. From discerning unique rhetorical features of a stand-up comic’s discourse to generating new humor theory, humor scholars are a prolific and provocative bunch. As has been the case in recent years, two particularly popular areas of humor research are online humor (especially memes), and humor in films and television shows. Additionally, in 2021, many scholars focused on humor about Donald Trump while others offered close readings of stand-up comedy, specifically regarding race. With the interests of our readership in mind, we have chosen to curate those publications we believe to be of greatest heuristic value in the following nine categories: literature, satire and political humor, performance, film and television, new media, empirical studies, visual humor, jokes, and theory. You’re welcome.