Thinking Twice: Uses of Comedy to Challenge Islamophobic Stereotypes

Authors

  • Zara Maria Zimbardo Interdisciplinary Studies faculty at the California Institute of Integral Studies,

Keywords:

Race, Class, Religion, Politics, Privilege, Oppression, White Supremacy, Education, Teaching, Research, Tools, Strategies, Youth, College

Abstract

This research and writing is presented as a “pre-curriculum”, containing theoretical frameworks within which antiracist educators may apply their talents and sensitivities towards opening dialogue and critical exploration of the functioning of Islamophobia. Resistance to sustained examination of dominant Islamophobic stereotypes in this time of ongoing military aggression towards Muslim populations internationally and racial and religious discrimination domestically, poses exceptional challenges.Entrenched media representations, and political discourse on both right and left tend towards demonization at worst or flattening and invisibilization at best.Oftentimes dedicated, sophisticated facilitators who are immersed in anti-oppression curriculum and anti-racism work in particular, share that they “hit a wall” when it comes to Islam and Islamophobia, or express a distancing lack of knowledge. This paper poses the inquiry: How can political humor and social justice comedy effectively open up greater curiosity, deeper engagement and interrogation of Islamophobic and anti-Arab narratives, and illuminate the deployment of stereotypes with a critical media literacy lens? Strategic incorporation of comedic “texts” offers a form of epistemological inquiry that can surface and problematize what is “known”. As diverse comic artists employ humor as educational bridge-building outreach, antiracist educators can in turn draw from this prolific material as pedagogical tools.


Author Biography

Zara Maria Zimbardo, Interdisciplinary Studies faculty at the California Institute of Integral Studies,

Zara Zimbardo, MA, is member of the Interdisciplinary Studies faculty at the California Institute of Integral Studies, with an emphasis on postcolonial anthropology, cultural studies and media studies. She has a background in independent media production of an alternative current events television series, and has developed critical media literacy workshops, presentations, and curricula in collaboration with schools throughout the Bay Area. Zara is a co-founder of the anti-racist feminist resource and training group, the White Noise Collective.

Published

2014-08-04

How to Cite

Zimbardo, Z. M. (2014). Thinking Twice: Uses of Comedy to Challenge Islamophobic Stereotypes. Understanding and Dismantling Privilege, 4(2). Retrieved from https://wpcjournal.com/article/view/12361

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 2 (2014): Understanding and Dismantling Privilege, Special Issue: Resistance to Teaching Antiracism

Section

Tools & Strategies

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A new model, the Creative Commons approach, with split copyright is rapidly evolving and worth considering.

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