Description
This paper is concerned with war and everyday practices of counter-conduct in Lebanon. It focuses on how war in neighbouring Gaza and Lebanon’s own history of war are framed humorously, and the potential ethical implications of doing so. Based on examples from popular Lebanese YouTube shows, memes and fieldwork with a local NGO in Beirut, it will examine how everyday humorous practices frame war and threats of war in alternate ways, by managing anxieties, creating self-other identities and channelling critique of the West. Drawing on recent theoretical conversations on the ethical implications of humorous practices in IR, the paper will in a second move ask what may happen to questions of political responsibility and historical complexity, when issues of war are framed humorously.
