A Thing of Humour? Exploring Gender and Hostile Humour in Alberta Political Cartoons

• Author / Creator

  Wilissa M. Reist

• This thesis addresses the intersections existing between gender, violence and political humour in Alberta political cartoons. I ask the following question: do cartoonists more frequently use hostile humour to represent women premiers, and, if so, what do these representations communicate about gender and political leadership and Alberta political culture? To answer this question, I conducted a content and discourse analysis of 154 political cartoons presenting Alberta premiers Rachel Notley, Alison Redford, and Ed Stelmach during their first eighteen months in office. I argue that while hostile humour was a key part of the jokes in editorial cartoons directed at Notley, Redford and Stelmach, hostile humour is complex and nuanced. In the case of Alberta, hostile humour in political cartoons creates a hierarchy of what is and is not politically acceptable by enforcing gendered and ideological views about the political status-quo, thus reinforcing the belief that politics exists as a male and conservative pursuit.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Gender
  • Humour
  • Politics

• Graduation date

  Fall 2018

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Arts

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3X92211V

• License

  Permission is hereby granted to the University of Alberta Libraries to reproduce single copies of this thesis and to lend or sell such copies for private, scholarly or scientific research purposes only. Where the thesis is converted to, or otherwise made available in digital form, the University of Alberta will advise potential users of the thesis of these terms. The author reserves all other publication and other rights in association with the copyright in the thesis and, except as herein before provided, neither the thesis nor any substantial portion thereof may be printed or otherwise reproduced in any material form whatsoever without the author's prior written permission.