Humor as a Mirroring Self- Reflection : A Case study of a subversive Deaf Humor Aiming the Spotlight at the Hearing Majority

Abstract: Humor builds the ground to share the common and the uncommon, to ease the uneasiness, to laugh at oneself and the other. It is amusing and rebellious, revealing the obvious from the obscure and challenging the unchallenged. The purpose of this Master thesis is to examine the subversive humor use within Deaf communities, centered around the hearing society, as well as to explore subversive humor’s role in reinforcing the Deaf identity and resisting the often assigned otherness. Taken the form of a case study this thesis analyses two examples: a short film The Kiss, produced by Charlie Swinbourne and the series of graphical drawings from Tais, created by Alícia Sort Leal. Using visual analysis and close reading as analytical methods as well as classical (Superiority, Incongruity, Relief) and contemporary (Reversal) humor theories, this thesis provides an insight into reflective and mirroring effects of humor.