PUB - Publikationen an der Universität Bielefeld

Stereotypical representations of socially marginalised groups have been historically used towards the ‘othering’ of certain communities. This chapter explores the use of humour in such representations to understand how laughter is performed to draw social boundaries with the marginalised other. The Indian male gaze cast upon the Nepali man is at the center of this discussion. We use the framework of the superiority theory of humour and problematise the ‘gaze’ to trace the impact of race relations embedded in colonial history and the present-day migrant-class status of the Nepali male subject, on his stereotypical portrayal. The arguments unravelling the imagination of this caricature are built upon examples from three distinct sites of humour. We begin with the examination of text-based jokes forwarded through mass-messaging platforms and then proceed to look at how these portrayals are captured in visual media and in the cinematic experience. Lastly, we analyse ‘cringe pop’ on social media in search of the Indian male gaze when the visibility of this stereotypical Nepali man has waned up to an extent. The gaze that is cast upon the subject of such humour is understood in terms of what becomes a hegemonic ideal of masculinity and the laughter that follows further legitimises this exercise of power.