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The Ironic State

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What can comedy tell us about the politics of a nation? In this book, James Brassett builds on his prize-winning research to demonstrate how British comedy can provide intimate and vital understan...
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  • 01 January 2024
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What can comedy tell us about the politics of a nation?

In this book, James Brassett builds on his prize-winning research to demonstrate how British comedy can provide intimate and vital understandings of the everyday politics of globalization in Britain.

The book explores British comedy and Britain’s global politics from post-war imperial decline through to its awkward embrace of globalization, examining a wide variety of comedic mediums, such as the popular television show The Office and the online satire The Daily Mash. Touching on issues such as empire, the class system and capitalism, the author demonstrates how comedy offers valuable insights on how global market life is experienced, mediated, contested and accommodated.

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Price: $29.95
Pages: 172
Publisher: Bristol University Press
Imprint: Bristol University Press
Publication Date: 01 January 2024
ISBN: 9781529208467
Format: Paperback
BISACs: POLITICAL SCIENCE / Globalization, International relations, PERFORMING ARTS / Comedy, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Economy, Society and culture: general
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“…a fascinating book... The Ironic State is an engaging study of the intimate relationship between comedy and politics, shedding light on how British comedians both resist and are constrained by the values and attitudes of the day.” International Affairs
James Brassett is Reader in International Political Economy (IPE) at the University of Warwick.

Introduction: Comedy and the Politics of (Global) Resistance

Everyday Comic Resistance in Global Context

The Satire Boom: Imperial Decline and the Rise of the Everyday Elite

Alternative Comedy and Resistance to ‘Thatcher’s Britain’

Irony and the Liminality of Resistance

Austerity and the Rise of Radical Comedy

Brexit, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Single Market

The Globalization of Comic Resistance?