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“Laughter and Sex Prolong Life”: Current Trends in the Humour Practices of Russian-Speakers in Estonia Cover

“Laughter and Sex Prolong Life”: Current Trends in the Humour Practices of Russian-Speakers in Estonia

Open Access
|Dec 2023

Abstract

We investigate the humour production, consumption and sharing of Russian-speakers in Estonia, based on the self-reflections and self-perceptions of their humour preferences and other humour-related behaviour. By studying the representation of the humour practices of this important minority community we can get a more complete picture of humour in Estonia. Analysis of survey results reveals that according to Russian-speakers, among their favourite topics were everyday life, and sex- and family-related matters. Visual humour was the most popular form. Respondents mentioned social media as the primary way of sharing humour, but oral transmission remained important as well. The language of the shared humour was primarily Russian, and the content was mainly not specific to the Estonian cultural context. As humorous vernacular expression offers insights into the mechanisms of identity-building and integration, the choice of language and of source can be interpreted as a way to create and maintain a local identity. On the whole, Russian-speakers in Estonia are reluctant to discuss their minority status in a humorous manner.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jef-2023-0024 | Journal eISSN: 2228-0987 | Journal ISSN: 1736-6518
Language: English
Page range: 176 - 203
Published on: Dec 11, 2023
Published by: University of Tartu, Estonian National Museum, Estonian Literary Museum
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services
Publication frequency: 2 issues per year

© 2023 Guillem Castañar Rubio, Anastasiya Fiadotava, Liisi Laineste, published by University of Tartu, Estonian National Museum, Estonian Literary Museum
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.