Bloomsbury Home
- Home
- ACADEMIC
- Religious Studies
- Philosophy of Religion
- Sacred Laughter
Sacred Laughter
Humor and Laughter in Religious, Cultural, and Mythic Traditions
Michael K. Cundall Jr. (Anthology Editor) , Terry Lindvall (Contributor) , Fatima Ahmed (Contributor) , Nikola Danisova-Bartoskova (Contributor) , Anastasiya Fiadotava (Contributor) , Richard A. Gardner (Contributor) , LaReina Hingson (Contributor) , Benson Igboin (Contributor) , Sundus Mohamed (Contributor) , Christian Palmisano (Contributor) , Bernhard Scheid (Contributor) , Liz Sills (Contributor) , Anastasiya Stoyneva (Contributor) , Kaitlyn Ugoretz (Contributor) , Paul van der Velde (Contributor) , Michael K. Cundall Jr. (Contributor)
Sacred Laughter
Humor and Laughter in Religious, Cultural, and Mythic Traditions
Michael K. Cundall Jr. (Anthology Editor) , Terry Lindvall (Contributor) , Fatima Ahmed (Contributor) , Nikola Danisova-Bartoskova (Contributor) , Anastasiya Fiadotava (Contributor) , Richard A. Gardner (Contributor) , LaReina Hingson (Contributor) , Benson Igboin (Contributor) , Sundus Mohamed (Contributor) , Christian Palmisano (Contributor) , Bernhard Scheid (Contributor) , Liz Sills (Contributor) , Anastasiya Stoyneva (Contributor) , Kaitlyn Ugoretz (Contributor) , Paul van der Velde (Contributor) , Michael K. Cundall Jr. (Contributor)
Payment for this pre-order will be taken when the item becomes available
You must sign in to add this item to your wishlist. Please sign in or create an account
Description
This anthology explores the intersection of humor and laughter with various faith, religious, and mythic traditions.
Each chapter covers a unique case where humor and laughter have intersected with some part of a religious, cultural, or mythic tradition and explores how and why laughter and humor are important in those stories. The contributors also explore how the role of humor and laughter shaped and influenced the various religions, cultures, or myths and what that might mean to the parent society. Each author also adds a bit of reflection on how they think their work is relevant to issues of humor in our modern world.
Table of Contents
Editor's Introduction: Sacred Laughter
Chapter One: The Wheel of Gelastic Fortune: The Turnings of Monastic Mirth
Terry Lindvall and Christian Palmisano
Chapter Two: The Transformative Nature of the Sun-god's Laughter in Ancient Egyptian Religious Texts
LaReina Hingson
Chapter Three: The Archfigure Trickster: The Role of Humor in Functional Models of the Trickster-Civilizer's Actions in North American Indian Myths
Nikol Danisova
Chapter Four: Humor in Islam
Fatima Ahmed and Sundus Mohamed
Chapter Five: Buddhism, Humor, and Laughter
Richard Gardner
Chapter Six: Transformations of a Japanese Deity of Dance: Humor, Ritual, and the Question How to Reach the Gods
Bernard Scheid
Chapter Seven: The Sanctity of the Funny: Christian Clown Ministries and the Paradox of the Profane
Liz Sills
Chapter Eight: Serious Buddha, laughing Krishna? Some aspects of fun and games in Hinduism and Buddhism
Paul van Der Velde
Chapter Nine: 'The Gods live like Us': Sacred Humor in Africa
Benson Igboin
Chapter Ten: Boiled Shoe, Enamoured Cow and a Buddha in a Fur: Buddhist Humour in Mongolian Communities
Alevtina Solovyeva and Anastasiya Fiadotava
Chapter Eleven: Laughing to Move the Gods: The Transformative Power of Humor in Shinto
Kaitlyn Ugoretz
Editor's Epilogue
About the Contributors
Product details

Published | Oct 02 2025 |
---|---|
Format | Ebook (Epub & Mobi) |
Edition | 1st |
Extent | 256 |
ISBN | 9781978770270 |
Imprint | Bloomsbury Academic |
Illustrations | 13 bw illus; 4 tables |
Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
About the contributors
Reviews
-
This collection will be of great use to anybody seeking to learn about religion and humor-especially outside of Christian and Jewish contexts. The materials on East Asian religions, in particular, are welcome additions to the field.
David Feltmate, Professor of Sociology, Auburn University at Montgomery, USA