Description
This paper is concerned with war and humorous practices online. It particularly focuses on how the current war between Israel and Hezbollah/Lebanon is framed humorously online, and the ethical implications of such practices. Based on examples from Lebanese and Israeli YouTube shows, memes and fieldwork in Beirut, it will examine how humorous practices frame war and threats of war differently, by managing anxieties, creating self-other identities and channeling critique of the Other and the West. Drawing on recent theoretical conversations on the ethical implications of humorous practices in IR, the paper will in a second move ask to issues of political responsibility, the gravity of war, and historical complexity, when issues of war are framed humorously.
