Virgins, Terrorists, and Ten Children : Immigrants' Humorous Play with Ethnic Stereotypes in Bonding with Danes in the Workplace
(2019) In Symbolic Interaction 42(4). p.691-716- Abstract
Drawing on fieldwork in a multi-ethnic workplace (an industrial kitchen in Denmark), this article explores immigrants' self-directed ethnic humor in collegial relationships with Danes as it spontaneously develops and plays out in everyday work settings. Approaching ethnic humor from a symbolic interactionist perspective rather than adopting the dominant conflict approach, this article emphasizes the bonding functions of ethnic humor. The article argues that immigrants' engagement in playful behavior with ethnic stereotypes in interactions with Danes is a form of “impression management” in which they defuse ethnic stereotypes and dissociate themselves from them by building joking relationships in the workplace with Danes. A video... (More)
Drawing on fieldwork in a multi-ethnic workplace (an industrial kitchen in Denmark), this article explores immigrants' self-directed ethnic humor in collegial relationships with Danes as it spontaneously develops and plays out in everyday work settings. Approaching ethnic humor from a symbolic interactionist perspective rather than adopting the dominant conflict approach, this article emphasizes the bonding functions of ethnic humor. The article argues that immigrants' engagement in playful behavior with ethnic stereotypes in interactions with Danes is a form of “impression management” in which they defuse ethnic stereotypes and dissociate themselves from them by building joking relationships in the workplace with Danes. A video abstract is available at https://tinyurl.com/esholdt.
(Less)
- author
- Esholdt, Henriette Frees LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2019-04-14
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- ethnic humor, ethnic stereotype, impression management, joking relationship, spontaneous humor in interaction
- in
- Symbolic Interaction
- volume
- 42
- issue
- 4
- pages
- 691 - 716
- publisher
- University of California Press
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85064510582
- ISSN
- 0195-6086
- DOI
- 10.1002/symb.426
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 60ba1b83-3138-412b-b79f-86d3d56f2707
- date added to LUP
- 2019-05-07 08:43:44
- date last changed
- 2022-04-25 23:07:11
@article{60ba1b83-3138-412b-b79f-86d3d56f2707, abstract = {{<p>Drawing on fieldwork in a multi-ethnic workplace (an industrial kitchen in Denmark), this article explores immigrants' self-directed ethnic humor in collegial relationships with Danes as it spontaneously develops and plays out in everyday work settings. Approaching ethnic humor from a symbolic interactionist perspective rather than adopting the dominant conflict approach, this article emphasizes the bonding functions of ethnic humor. The article argues that immigrants' engagement in playful behavior with ethnic stereotypes in interactions with Danes is a form of “impression management” in which they defuse ethnic stereotypes and dissociate themselves from them by building joking relationships in the workplace with Danes. A video abstract is available at https://tinyurl.com/esholdt.</p>}}, author = {{Esholdt, Henriette Frees}}, issn = {{0195-6086}}, keywords = {{ethnic humor; ethnic stereotype; impression management; joking relationship; spontaneous humor in interaction}}, language = {{eng}}, month = {{04}}, number = {{4}}, pages = {{691--716}}, publisher = {{University of California Press}}, series = {{Symbolic Interaction}}, title = {{Virgins, Terrorists, and Ten Children : Immigrants' Humorous Play with Ethnic Stereotypes in Bonding with Danes in the Workplace}}, url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/symb.426}}, doi = {{10.1002/symb.426}}, volume = {{42}}, year = {{2019}}, }