At its outset, Studies in political humour argues that humour, rather than being a direct catalyst of political or social change, instead contributes to reinforcing dominant political views and values and to conveying criticism of political norms and practices. To illustrate this, the editors have assembled a wide-ranging survey of studies of political humour in Europe, containing input from fields as diverse as discourse analysis, sociology, and theatre semiotics. The book outlines humour in a context in which “serious” discourse supposedly prevails, arguing that humour in its many forms is an important part of political life.

The book is divided into three parts that approach political humour from separate but interrelated perspectives. After a thorough introduction defining the term “humour” by discussing its mechanics, functions, and effects, Chs. 2–5 look at the use of humour by politicians. In particular, these chapters provide valuable analyses of parliamentary and broadcast debates. In Ch. 2, Ralph Mueller examines speeches in the German parliament, and then Greece is covered in two articles. The first, by Argiris Archakis & Villy Tsakona, analyses humorous parliamentary narratives, while the second, by Marianthi Georgalidou, explores the relationship between politics and the media in times of conflict. In Ch. 5, Marta Dynel analyses verbal violence in Polish broadcast debates.

The second part of the book (Chs. 6–8) shifts the focus to political humour in the media, an important conduit through which political communication is mediated and political identities formed and manipulated. Examples of political satire are the focus here. Diana Elena Popa analyses a Romanian animated television show, Clare Watters looks at an Italian Berlusconi impersonator, and subversive satirical cartoons produced under Mussolini's fascist regime are discussed by Efharis Mascha. The final part of the book (Chs. 9–11) is dedicated to public debates and political humour, with Liisi Laineste covering official and unofficial responses to racist jokes in Estonia, and Vicky Manteli providing a thought-provoking multimodal analysis of humour through a stage production that aims to draw parallels between Stalinism and Modern Greek theatre.

The book offers a comprehensive survey of political humour in Europe, making it a useful introduction to those who wish to learn more about the state of research in the field. Whether humour is used to attack opponents and delegitimize their politics, as is the case in Germany, or to provide a sense of relief to a subordinated populace living under the threat of violence, as in Mussolini's fascist Italy, the inclusive and exclusive functions of political humour are a common theme running throughout the volume. The editors' postscript in Ch. 11 provides an insightful summary of these threads and presents multiple directions for future research. The ultimately ambiguous nature of the effect of political humour on the behaviour of those exposed to it provides ample scope for additional research in various disciplines. As a survey of humour in a relatively geographically contained though culturally diverse area, this book functions as a solid starting point from which to launch into the world of political humour research.