Satirical Tibet
What does comedy look like when the wrong punchline can land you in jail? Humor has long been a vital, if underrecognized, component of Tibetan life. In recent years, alongside well-publicized struggles for religious freedom and cultural preservation, comedians, hip-hop artists, and other creat...
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| Format: | Online |
| Language: | English |
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University of Washington Press
2025
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| Online Access: | https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/101217 |
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| _version_ | 1869523709396516864 |
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| author | Thurston, Timothy |
| author_browse | Thurston, Timothy |
| author_facet | Thurston, Timothy |
| author_sort | Thurston, Timothy |
| collection | Directory of Open Access Books |
| description | What does comedy look like when the wrong punchline can land you in jail?
Humor has long been a vital, if underrecognized, component of Tibetan life. In recent years, alongside well-publicized struggles for religious freedom and cultural preservation, comedians, hip-hop artists, and other creatives have used zurza, the Tibetan art of satire, to render meaningful social and political critique under the ever-present eye of the Chinese state. Timothy Thurston's Satirical Tibet offers the first-ever look at this powerful tool of misdirection and inversion. Focusing on the region of Amdo, Thurston introduces the vibrant and technologically innovative comedy scene that took shape following the death of Mao Zedong and the rise of ethnic revival policies. He moves decade by decade to show how artists have folded zurza into stage performances, radio broadcasts, televised sketch comedies, and hip-hop lyrics to criticize injustices, steer popular attitudes, and encourage the survival of Tibetan culture.
Surprising and vivid, Satirical Tibet shows how the ever-changing uses and meanings of a time-honored art form allow Tibetans to shape their society while navigating tightly controlled media channels.
Open access edition DOI: 10.6069/9780295753126 |
| format | Online |
| id | doab-20.500.12854ir-158994 |
| institution | Directory of Open Access Books |
| language | eng |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | University of Washington Press |
| publisherStr | University of Washington Press |
| record_format | ojs |
| spelling | doab-20.500.12854ir-1589942025-05-20T05:15:01Z Satirical Tibet Thurston, Timothy Social and cultural anthropology;Media studies thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JH Sociology and anthropology::JHM Anthropology::JHMC Social and cultural anthropology thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JB Society and culture: general::JBC Cultural and media studies::JBCT Media studies What does comedy look like when the wrong punchline can land you in jail? Humor has long been a vital, if underrecognized, component of Tibetan life. In recent years, alongside well-publicized struggles for religious freedom and cultural preservation, comedians, hip-hop artists, and other creatives have used zurza, the Tibetan art of satire, to render meaningful social and political critique under the ever-present eye of the Chinese state. Timothy Thurston's Satirical Tibet offers the first-ever look at this powerful tool of misdirection and inversion. Focusing on the region of Amdo, Thurston introduces the vibrant and technologically innovative comedy scene that took shape following the death of Mao Zedong and the rise of ethnic revival policies. He moves decade by decade to show how artists have folded zurza into stage performances, radio broadcasts, televised sketch comedies, and hip-hop lyrics to criticize injustices, steer popular attitudes, and encourage the survival of Tibetan culture. Surprising and vivid, Satirical Tibet shows how the ever-changing uses and meanings of a time-honored art form allow Tibetans to shape their society while navigating tightly controlled media channels. Open access edition DOI: 10.6069/9780295753126 2025-05-02T04:12:30Z 2025-05-02T04:12:30Z 2025-05-01T09:27:38Z 2025 book https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/101217 9780295753102 9780295753119 https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/158994 eng Studies on Ethnic Groups in China open access image/jpeg image/jpeg Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/20.500.12657/101217/1/9780295753126.pdf https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/20.500.12657/101217/1/9780295753126.pdf University of Washington Press 10.6069/9780295753126 10.6069/9780295753126 05b43d6c-b025-4c47-9778-32ac09131cc4 University of Leeds UK Research and Innovation 70bd35fa-d6aa-411b-8104-54546556d19b 9780295753102 9780295753119 UK Research and Innovation 238 Seattle MR/V026348/1 open access |
| spellingShingle | Social and cultural anthropology;Media studies thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JH Sociology and anthropology::JHM Anthropology::JHMC Social and cultural anthropology thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JB Society and culture: general::JBC Cultural and media studies::JBCT Media studies Thurston, Timothy Satirical Tibet |
| title | Satirical Tibet |
| title_full | Satirical Tibet |
| title_fullStr | Satirical Tibet |
| title_full_unstemmed | Satirical Tibet |
| title_short | Satirical Tibet |
| title_sort | satirical tibet |
| topic | Social and cultural anthropology;Media studies thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JH Sociology and anthropology::JHM Anthropology::JHMC Social and cultural anthropology thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JB Society and culture: general::JBC Cultural and media studies::JBCT Media studies |
| topic_facet | Social and cultural anthropology;Media studies thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JH Sociology and anthropology::JHM Anthropology::JHMC Social and cultural anthropology thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JB Society and culture: general::JBC Cultural and media studies::JBCT Media studies |
| url | https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/101217 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT thurstontimothy satiricaltibet |