The Social And Political Function Of Humor In The Arabic Nawadir Works

Humor and comedy have drawn attention of some authors, scholars and philosophers from early human history. However, this topic has not been discussed sufficiently in early times. When looked at works done in Arabic language and literature, it can be argued that this field is not popular enough both among people and in the academic circles. Today especially after development of social sciences some scholars have realized the shaping role of humor in human values and thoughts. In this manner these scholars argue that humor is a distinctive character of human. Humor, in addition to laughing, can be used as an instrument of criticism of societal opposition. Sharp tongue in terms of impact on human and society can be used in order to show meaninglessness or wrongness of a situation in a very effective way. For this reason it can be argued that humor is communicative language. This form of wording the more it covers of different spheres of society the more it becomes a communicative language. The usage of humors an instrument which it can unify, divide and classifies individuals on basis of an hierarchy points to a societal meaning. All social issues at the same time are humorous one. Humor which abstracts societal issues reveals their highlights. All these show that the humorist is not powerless when compared with the ruler that holds the rein of power. However, in a legal context humorist is not equal with the ruler in terms of sanction and power, but typical power of humor can sometimes lead to the same outcomes. The liberating impact of humor easily can be observed in the political arena. Thus, a humorous person cannot be suppressed totally by a restrictive government. Because the talent of laughing at strange things not practically but theoretically makes humorous person superior and it also supplies him/her with the self-confidence. When looked at both the word iqtidar and Latin rooted power it can be observed that the impact of humor is not only limited to political sphere but it is an effective instrument in all spheres of life especially in relationship between powerful and powerless. In other words, humor is like silent scream and it in order to point to the problems assaults the ruling powers There is almost a consensus that the main function of humor is to put pressure on the power. This issue can show explicitly the societal function of humor. Thus, for the humorist political force is mostly the main representative of the power. Moreover, sometimes a landlord, a boss, a rich bourgeois, a manager or a state official who symbolize the power can be