Part of
Humor in InteractionEdited by Neal R. Norrick and Delia Chiaro
[Pragmatics & Beyond New Series 182] 2009
► pp. 125–140
Edited by Neal R. Norrick and Delia Chiaro
[Pragmatics & Beyond New Series 182] 2009
► pp. 125–140
Boundary-marking humor
Institutional, gender and ethnic demarcation in the workplace
Drawing on recorded workplace meetings of Maori and Pakeha women in one New Zealand government department, this paper illustrates some of the complexities of boundary-marking humor. In particular, we analyse examples where the humor illuminates some of the tensions experienced by less powerful groups working within the institutional parameters or frameworks of more dominant groups or sources of influence. The relevant in-group shifts and the humor may correspondingly orient to boundaries dividing different institutional groups, different sexes, and different ethnic groups at different times. In each case, no members of the out-group are present and the humor functions to build solidarity and rapport between in-group members.
Cited by
Cited by 13 other publications
Bell, Nancy D.
2018. Pragmatics, humor studies, and the study of interaction. In Pragmatics and its Interfaces [Pragmatics & Beyond New Series, 294], ► pp. 291 ff. 
Ben Romdhane, Samar & Alain Babineau
2023. Beyond Reputation Management: An Auto-Ethnographic Examination of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Canadian Policing. Societies 13:10 ► pp. 216 ff.
Esholdt, Henriette Frees
2019. Virgins, Terrorists, and Ten Children: Immigrants' Humorous Play with Ethnic Stereotypes in Bonding with Danes in the Workplace. Symbolic Interaction 42:4 ► pp. 691 ff.
Gradin Franzén, Anna & Karin Aronsson
2013. Teasing, laughing and disciplinary humor: Staff–youth interaction in detention home treatment. Discourse Studies 15:2 ► pp. 167 ff.
Hirsch, Galia & Pnina Shukrun-Nagar
2023. Flirting with the Israeli Prime Minister, humorously . The European Journal of Humour Research 11:2 ► pp. 20 ff.
Holmes, Janet & Bernadette Vine
2021. Workplace Research and Applications in Real World Contexts: The Case of the Wellington Language in the Workplace Project. In Good Data in Business and Professional Discourse Research and Teaching, ► pp. 25 ff.
Jensen, Thomas Wiben
2018. Humor as interactional affordances: an ecological perspective on humor in social interaction. Psychology of Language and Communication 22:1 ► pp. 238 ff.
Lazzaro-Salazar, Mariana
2021. Humour as Cultural Capital in Transitions. In The Palgrave Handbook of Humour Research, ► pp. 113 ff.
Lingard, Lorelei
2013. Language matters: towards an understanding of silence and humour in medical education. Medical Education 47:1 ► pp. 40 ff.
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2019. Doing business and constructing identities through small talk in workplace instant messaging. Pragmatics and Society 10:4 ► pp. 559 ff.
Petitjean, Cécile
2015. Les pratiques humoristiques dans des interactions en classe de français. Comparaisons entre l’école obligatoire et post-obligatoire en Suisse romande. Langage et société N° 154:4 ► pp. 101 ff.
Westwood, Robert & Allanah Johnston
2012. Reclaiming authentic selves: Control, resistive humour and identity work in the office. Organization 19:6 ► pp. 787 ff.
Woodhams, Jay M.
2019. Subnational Discourses and Local Selves. In Political Identity in Discourse, ► pp. 103 ff.
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 24 april 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.