Summary
Humor and religion intersect in diverse ways in public life. These multifaceted encounters raise various sets of questions and perspectives from which to study humor and religion:
• the presence of humor and its corollaries (e.g. laughter) in religious traditions;
• the influence of faith and belief on humor creation and appreciation;
• humor about faith, belief and religious traditions;
• the conflictual aspects when humor, faith and belief intersect, including what constitutes permissible/prohibited, acceptable/unacceptable or offensive humor, and issues of freedom of expression, blasphemy, and censorship/self-censorship;
• many other relevant areas of investigation.
The ISHS Religion and Humor Special Interest Group will:
• establish and raise the profile of the growing interest in research at the intersections of humor and comedy with religion, faith and belief within humor studies;
• develop this area of research across disciplinary lines;
• provide a platform within both the humanities and social sciences for those interested in humor and religion to share their research through online events and panels at ISHS;
• bring together researchers at all levels of their career and from around the world through networking opportunities.