Some Laughing Matters: Taking Humor Seriously in Qualitative Interviewing

• In Event: Open Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 1: Qualitative Methods

Abstract

Humor holds a contested space within sociological methodology due to its unpredictability and threat to standardization. However, we argue that humor, specifically spontaneous interpersonal joking or “riffing,” can play a key function within qualitative interview-based research. We argue that spontaneous laughter can serve as a means of reducing social distance between the researcher and participant, especially in cases of mismatched social status. In particular, we argue that light-hearted, sometimes self-deprecating, humor about the research process or researcher themselves can facilitate the bridging of social distance, especially when working with populations in vulnerable circumstances. However, as we discuss, this process of humor for bridging does not work in reverse; that is, when the participant population is of higher social status than the researcher. As humor and laughter often arise in interpersonal conversations, professional and personal, we argue against the dominant consensus to avoid humor and joking within the interview research process. In contrast, we demonstrate not only the potential benefits of spontaneous humor for building rapport within qualitative research, but also how attention to humor can provide new insights for qualitative researchers during the analytic process. We also note that the use of humor, broadly, is both highly context-dependent and involves the negotiation of risk and reward, like many methodological decisions. Researchers interested in utilizing humor within their work must take into consideration the topic of research and the community of study, along with their own personality and positionality in relation to that community. Thus, we believe that this process of deciphering when and how to utilize humor provides another route for reflexivity within qualitative research.

Authors

• Ezra Langlois, University of Arizona

• Amanda Pierson, University of Arizona