The Social Control of Cognition: Some Factors in Joke Perception Author(s): Mary Douglas Source: Man, New Series,

Vol. 3, No. 3 (Sep., 1968), pp. 361-376 Published by: Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2798875 . Accessed: 18/12/2013 21:49
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THE SOCIAL CONTROL OF COGNITION: SOME FACTORS IN JOKE PERCEPTION

MARY DOUGLAS University CollegeLondon

an Anthropologists tendto approachritual joking fromscratch, withmerely introspective glanceat the casesin whichtheythemselves feelimpelledto joke. Consequently theyhave treated joking rituals as if theyarisespontaneously from socialsituations and as if the anthropologist's sole taskis to classify therelations involved. The jokes have not been considered asjokes in themselves, nor has ourown cultural tradition beenappliedto interpreting the joke situation. Certain new trends inviteus now to make a moreopen approach. Anthropology has moved fromthesimpleanalysis of socialstructures current in theI940'S to thestructural analysis of thought systems. One of the central problemsnow is the relation betweencategories of thought and categories as one of socialexperience. Joking mode of expression in itstotalrelation to other modesof hasyetto be interpreted expression. Suchan approach suggests that thealternatives andofnotjoking ofjoking would be susceptible to thekindofstructural whichLeach(I96I: 23) hasapplied analysis to controlled and uncontrolled modesof mystical power.His original modelfor thiswas the linguistic patterning of voiced and unvoicedconsonants; his sole concern to showthat thecontrasts It was notrelevant wereusedin regular patterns. to hisargument to askwhether thepatterning ofcontrasted elements in thesystem of communication was arbitrary or not. But it is possiblethatthepatterning of articulate in the and less articulate to a similarpatterning soundscorresponds which they are used to express.This questionraisesthe general experiences oftherelation in between and experience. It is truethat problem symbolic systems theprocess witharbitrarily language of symbolic differentiation maystart selected at thesimple elements them intoconsistent leveland combine phonemic patterns. But at morecomplex an everricher levelseachsigncarries intothepatterning load To return of association. to Leach's case of modes of mystical power, I have elsewhere of articulate and argued(Douglas I966: IOI-3) thatthediscrimination inarticulate forms of mystical power is not arbitrary. The use of spelland riteis to people occupying the use of attributed articulate areasof thesocialstructure, in inarticulate unconscious areas.Thereis a play upon psychic powersto others articulateness bothin thekinds anditsabsence, ofmystic powerbeingwieldedand in theareasof thesocialstructure to whichtheyare allocated. The sameapproof symbolic to thesituations with forms can be illustrated priateness theyexpress is highly ritual that wherethe joking.I am confident joke rite elaborated, jokingis notusedmerely to contrast diacritically withseriousness, but thatthefullhuman ofthe Ifwe couldbe clearaboutthenature experience joke is exploited. ofjoking,

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level at a moreprofound joke rite of the theinterpretation we couldapproach hitherto. than a fresh to make this generation a new,more enables trend general Fortunately, turned thought when European ofthecentury Attheturn tojoke rites. approach orspecialists, either antiquarians were humour, anthropologists upon ananalytic eye for thinkers to lookto recent or both.It wouldnothavebeenin thetradition in the I940's wroteon jokingrelations When Radcliffe-Brown illumination. nothavetaken that he should natural I940; I949) it was still (Radcliffe-Brown to thesurrealist Stilllesswouldhe haveturned or Freud. account of Bergson allto above onewhowished estrange whose frivolity would passionate movement, of wrote on thesubject He therefore status ofhissubject. establish thescientific inthe form is a great difference ina very Butthere desiccated perspective. joking Forus,thanks public. to theordinary ideasarenow available in which Freud's to go tothetheatre, newfiction, to read itisnotpossible to the surrealists, largely note taking without orsculpture ofpainting exhibition catalogue ofany the toread ofthis century. ofthebeginning which from thethinkers derives ofan attitude ofthe andawareness form andformlessness, ofthecontrast between Awareness have is structured in whichexperience character of thecategories subjective erudite pre-occupaofourage.Theyareno longer thecultural become premisses experilevel. Continual popular atanentirely get expressed tions ofthe learned, but forsymbolic sympathy has givenus now an intuitive mentation withform in someother Whatis implicit which all,a playuponform. is,after behaviour we canalso hasbecome an implicit ofourown.At thesametime part cultures atthetwo a tradition Thuswe canhaveinsights analysis. tobear ofexplicit bring for understanding joking. levels necessary a crude elements: combine the following first, African jokinginstitutions certain and third, ritual relationships; a rangeof specific second, scatology; Thesubject scatologically. funerals andpurifications) expressed occasions (namely am drawn to it I myself in general. related to ritual pollution is therefore closely to distinguish by I hopethat it willprove pollutions jokesfrom because possible in myessay on I shirked Thisis a task which someaspects ofhumour. analysing (I966). pollution ritual with RadcliffeI takeGriaule's in this controversy exercise As a keyquestion to According of so-called 'jokingrelationships'. Brownaboutthewholestatus butrather witticisms do notexchange Griaule partners Dogonjoking (1948),the Griaule found hilarious, Although these exchanges very insults. Dogonfind gross ofa complex institution. on thelaughter-provoking to fasten aspect it arbitrary anda joke?Whendoesa joke get an insult is thedifference between Now what anthroso that the ofajokeculturally determined perception ajoke?Is the beyond Is no general culturewhen it on trust a joke hasbeenmade? take must pologist at one another excrement Whenpeoplethrow ofjokingpossible? free analysis as a caseof canthis beinterpreted oractually, either whenever verbally they meet, Thisis thecentral excrement? written downas a caseofthrowing or merely wit, ofallinterpretation. problem to It wouldbe wrong thewhole oflaughter. aside letmebracket subject First, ornot.Itisnot itprovokes the ofa jokeiswhether acidtest laughter that suppose itisgenerally since oflaughter, andpsychology the togointo physiology necessary

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recognised that onecanappreciate a joke without andonecan actually laughing, laugh for other reasons than from having perceived a joke.Asthetwoexperiences arenotcompletely I shall onlaughter Here I am congruent, only touch incidentally. in I899 in the following Bergson, whoseessay on laughter was first published in I905, Revue deParis, andFreud (I9I6), whose analysis of wit,first published says very little about laughter. Both Bergson andFreud assume that itispossible ofideas toidentify a structure characteristic ofhumour. Ifthis were a valid assumption, allthat would benecessary Butin practice, here would be toidentify this jokeform in theAfrican joke rite. itisa very elusive form tonaildown. We face the dilemma either that all offinding utterances arecapable ofbeing ofthose jokes, orthat many which pass forjokes in Africa do notconform to thelaid-down requirements. My argument willbe that inthe the jokeform rarely liesin theutterance alone, butthat itcanbe identified total social situation. liesin Bergson andFreud arein fact very close:thedifference between them the different place ofjoke analysis in their respective philosophies. Bergson's reflections on laughter of area distillation ofhisgeneral philosophy on thenature man.He takes of humour as a field in which to demonstrate thesuperiority the intuition tologic, oflife tomechanism. Itispart ofhisgeneral protest against threatened mechanisation ofhumanity. ofman According to Bergson theessence is spontaneity and freedom: laughter asserts thisby erupting whenever a man in behaves a rigid way,likean automaton no longer under intelligent control. 'Humour consists in perceiving something mechanical encrusted on something living' whenpersons behave as if they wereinanimate (i95o: 29). It is funny things. So a person caught in a repetitive routine, such as stammering or dancing after themusic hasstopped, isfunny. Frozen posture, toorigid dignity, irrelevant mannerism, thenoble poseinterrupted byurgent,physical needs, allarefunny for thesame reason. Humour chastises insincerity, pomposity, stupidity. isadequate This analysis for a vast number offunny situations andjokes. There is no denying that itcovers thestyle ofmuch African joking, thegrotesque tricks of Lodagaba funeral partners (GoodyI962) andtheobscene insults ofDogon and Bozo jokingpartners (Griaule 1948). But I find it inadequate fortwo reasons. a moral First, itimparts judgement into the analysis. ForBergson the jokeisalways a chastisement: something 'bad', mechanical, rigid, encrusted isattacked bysomething 'good',spontaneous, instinctive. I amnotconvinced either that there isany moral judgement, ifthere nor that isone, italways works inthis direction. Second, Bergson includes toomuch. It is notalways humorous to recognise 'something on something encrusted living': it is more usually sinister, as thewholetrend of Bergson's philosophy asserts. Bergson's approach to humour doesnotallowfor punning norfor themore complex forms ofwitin which twoforms oflife are confronted without judgement beingpassedon either. For example, Bemba joking partners (Richards I937) exchange elaborate references to therelationship between their clantotems; members oftheCrocodile out clan, for instance, point tomembers ofthe Fish that clan fishes arefood for crocodiles, butthe latter riposte that crocodiles aretherefore dependent on fishes. These are jokeswhich allegorise the oftheclans. political interdependence Ifwe leave Bergson andturn to Freud, theessence ofwitisneatly tospan gulfs

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of a joke lies in a kindof economy.At all ideas.The pleasure betweendifferent so as to ensure our subconscious energy in monitoring timeswe are expending Thejoke, because a filtering control. perceptions comethrough that ourconscious system a holiday.Or, as Freud givesthemonitoring it breaks down thecontrol, expenditure. Fora is a saving in psychic costs effort, there putsit,sincemonitoring hencethesense moment theunconscious is allowedto bubbleup without restraint, of enjoyment and freedom. of wit to the Freudiananalysis The late AntonEhrenzweig (I953) extended In appreciating is a perception of form, a workof artthere and aesthetic pleasure. forms halfform there areother submerged or dominant underlying thearticulate of the main or reversals areas,sub-patternings perceived. These are inarticulate forms is itself a direct ofinarticulate theme. argues that theperception Ehrenzweig are experienced as an imageof thesubsourceof pleasure. The inarticulate forms allow thesubofenergy, forthey conscious. As they areperceived there is a release havethis in common pleasure wouldthen conscious Aesthetic itself to be expressed. withthejoyofajoke; something something whichmight effort, is savedinpsychic formof life have been repressed has been allowed to appear,a new improbable has been glimpsed. in the encrustation whichis attacked For Bergsonit is lifeless joke, for Freudthejoke lies in the releasefromcontrol.If I may sum up the difference of emphasis betweenBergson and Freud I would suggestthat for becausehe has lost Bergsontheman who slipson a bananapeel would be funny manwould forFreudthis hisbodilycontrol a helpless andso becomes automaton: of a be funny movedwiththeswiftness becausehisstiff bodyhasfortwo seconds In short, havea common they as ifa newform there. oflife hadbeenhidden gazelle, ofthe andflexibly. Forboththeessence approach whichFreudusesmoreabstractly informal, something formalis attackedby something joke is that something an upsurgeof lifefor vital,energetic, by something organised and controlled, both apunderlying Bergson,of libido for Freud. The commondenominator is the on control. proaches joke seenas an attack Take any pun or funny is potentially Here we can see why scatology funny. it offers one apparent, by being one hidden:thelatter, alternative patterns, story: said: 'Est comique to thesurface ofthefirst. thevalidity Bergson impugns brought alorsque surle physique d'unepersonne toutincident qui appellenotreattention ofevents takes to thephysical le moralesten cause' (I950: 39I). Reference pattern are not out of themoralpattern, thedignity yes.But thisis not all. The symbols loaded the same way. Freud'sapproachis more complexbecauseit necessarily therelation ofphysical and moralcouldequallywell be theother way allowsthat else. is confronted is that by something pattern round.Whatis crucial one accepted of ideas.Those structure on thedominant Alljokes have thissubversive effect to which mortalbeingsare which bringforward the physiological exigencies But it of subversion. subject,are using one universal, never-failing technique to thinkthathumourcan be reducedto scatology. would be a greatmistake when he reduces Beidelman(I966) seemsto do this,I thinkunintentionally, to cosmologicalideas about dirt and sex. Structural Kagurujoking relations to one or two of their all symbols does not work by reducing number; analysis ofall thesymbols relations ofthepatterned it requires an abstract statement rather, worked to one another. The same appliesto moralbias. It may be incidentally

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into thestructure ofmany butitis nottheessence jokes, ofjoking. Compare the Le jeu del'amour etduhazard. In thelatter, Comedy oferrors with Beaumarchais ofnoble makes thegirl birth tobe herownhandmaid so as tospyonher pretend trick to observe suitor; he adopts herunrecognised. thesame Thejoke liesin the ridiculous andhandmaid as lordandlady. display ofvalet In Bergson's disguised terms theessence ofthe natural jokeis that 'something living', nobility, triumphs of breeding. over 'something falseimitation encrusted', on the Shakespeare, other hand, does notmoralise when hesuccessfully the worlds of entangles separate twin brothers andtheir twin servants them atthe anddisengages end.Hisisno less a comedy for allthat the social messages areweaker. By this we seem to havea formula stage for identifying jokes.A joke is a play It brings uponform. intorelation in sucha way thatone elements disparate accepted is challenged pattern in someway bytheappearance ofanother which washidden in thefirst. I confess that I find Freud's definition ofthe joke highly oftherelaxation satisfactory. Thejoke is animage ofconscious control infavour ofthesubconscious. ofthis I shall Fortherest article be assuming that anyrecognisable jokefalls into this joke pattern which needs twoelements, the juxtaposition ofa control is controlled, against that which this such juxtaposition that being the latter triumphs. Needless to say,a successful subversion ofoneform by another completes orends the itchanges joke,for the balance ofpower. Itisimplicit inthe model Freudian that theunconscious doesnottake overthecontrol The system. wisesayings oflunatics, children anddrunkards arefunny talking animals, because incontrol; arenot they otherwise would notbeanimage ofthe they subconscious. Thejoke merely affords opportunity for an accepted realising that pattern hasno necessity. Its excitement liesin thesuggestion thatanyparticular ordering of experience andsubjective. maybe arbitrary It is frivolous in that it produces no realalternative, an exhilarating sense offreedom only from form ingeneral. control Social of perception While this as authentic, itisa very hailing jokepattern different matter touseit for we should identifying jokes.First distinguish standardised jokes, which areset ina conventional from context, spontaneous claim jokes.Freud's tohave found the same in all jokingsituations joke pattern hidesan important shift in levels of Thestandard for analysis. instance with joke,starting 'Have youheard this one?' or'There were three anIrishman, contains the men, etc.', wholejoke pattern within its verbal So does form. the pun. caneasily Thejoke pattern beidentified within the verbal form ofstandard Butthespontaneous jokesandpuns. joke organises the inits total situation Thus we get into jokepattern. difficulties intrying torecognise ofa spontaneous theessence havetheutterance jokeifwe only orthegesture and notthefull IftheKaguru ofrelationships. pattern think itwitty to throw excrement at certain cousins or theLodagaba to dance at funerals grotesquely or the to theparents' sexual Dogon to refer whenthey organs meet a friend, then to the sends allpresent recognise joke that into huge enjoyment we need notretreat into cultural relativism andgiveup a claim tointerpret. Theproblem hasmerely shifted tothe relation between andthe social joking structure. The social dimension enters at all levels intotheperception ofa joke.Evenits on a social valuation oftheelements. typical patterning depends A 20th century

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audience finds the Beaumarchais comedy weakbecause itone-sidedly presents the aristocrats' as liveandtheir manners servants' manners as lifeless imitations. But to an i8thcentury audience ofFrench aristocrats anydramatist presenting both lords andcommoners as equally lively intheir ownright wouldhavehad, nota comedy, buta theme ofsocial reform to tempt only a Bernard Shawinhismost In every tendentious vein. period there is a pileofsubmerged jokes,unperceived because areirrelevant or wrongly they balanced fortheperspective of theday. Hereletmetry to savethedefinition ofthe joke pattern from thecharge that it doesnotinclude modern forms ofhumour, suchas theshaggy dog story or the sick joke. The shaggy which dogis onlytoldin a society hasbeensatiated with Thejoke ofthetalethat joke stories. goeson in a declining spiral to a nadir of liesinthe dashed pointlessness ofthe expectations listeners: the humour isnot inthe utterances butinthetotal inwhich verbal situation itis a practical joke.Thesick a parallel joke expresses Itplays sophistication injokeforms. with a reversal ofthe ofsocial is left is themanandwhich values uncertain life;thehearer which the is thelegitimate machine, whois thegoodandwhothebad,orwhere pattern of is no needto labour There control. thepoint sucha joke form that relates to a kind ofsocial andcould notbe perceived particular experience bythose whohave to a thoroughgoing notbeenexposed relativising ofmoral values. social ofperception. So much for the control Astothe permitting ofajoke,there can be perceived arejokeswhich clearly enough by all present butwhich are atonce. Here the social isatwork. dimension Social rejected again requirements may toonear thebone, orirrelevant. judgea joke to be in badtaste, risky, improper, either on behalf areexerted ofhierarchy as such, Suchcontrols or on behalf of tooprecious andtooprecarious values which tobeexposed tochallenge. arejudged the remote itssubject, thetelling ofitispotentially Whatever subjoke,however consists itsform ofa victorious ofuncontrol Since versive. tilting against control, ofhierarchy, ofthe the ofintimacy over itisanimage levelling triumph formality, values over official ones. Ourquestion isnowmuch clearer. We must ofunofficial conditions for a joke to be both askwhatarethesocial andpermitted. perceived toanswer itbyexamining start the literature ofvarious We could situations. joking is that a jokeis seen andallowed when itoffers a symbolic Myhypothesis pattern at thesametime. As I seeit,alljokesareexpressive ofa social pattern occurring inwhich situations occur. Theonesocial social condition ofthe for they necessary is that the social inwhich itisreceived a joke tobe enjoyed should group develop characteristics ofa 'told'joke: that ofrelations theformal is,a dominant pattern Ifthere isnojokeinthe social no other is challenged byanother. structure, joking canappear. Fredrik Barth's of thesocialsituation on Take as an example (I966) analysis boat. Here the isinfull a Norwegian ofthe crew until board fishing skipper charge intothewater. Thenthenetbosstakes arelowered over.Before that theboats to theskipper as areother thenetbossis notsubject crew members. He is point on theboat, under theskipper, butpotentially a source ofauththere nominally will the for a briefperiod. There isinthis social which ority supplant skipper pattern that theskipper Allthetime andtheother ofthe members theperfect joke form. andsubordination frame the of arebusily within crew expressing superordination the totheenterprise, netboss and hisdetachment commitment common expresses

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individuality by wittysallies.As soon as he takesover responsibility, however, his short. The essential jokingstops pointis that thejoking bythenetbossexpresses a pattern ofauthority itdoesnothing which arises outofthetechnicalities offishing: to create thesituation, itmerely it. expresses Take as a secondexampletherather about laughter in thebeunexpected story ginning of TheIliad.At first thesocialsituation seemsto be all wrong, ifmy sight is accepted. accountofa proper a commonsoldier, insults joke form the Thersites, himbrutally Greekleaders;Odysseus strikes witha metalstudded rod; Thersites is crushed havea hearty andthetroops On this there laughat hisexpense. showing seemsto be no joke to provokethelaughter, fortheGreekleaders the represent dominantelements in the sodal structure. their Odysseus'sact merelyasserts But thiswould be to takethestory authority. out of context. The Greekleaders' plan to mounta new attack on Troy is aboutto be thwarted by their men.The argument betweenOdysseus and Thersites takes place whentheformer has been trying single-handed to checka wild dashfortheships ofmenwho have byhordes been nine yearsaway fromhome. In the contextof threatened mob rule,the leaders are not the dominant in the pattern, element but theweak, endangered element. One could say thateveryone laughswithrelief thattheirscramble for home is not allowed to overwhelm the delicatebalanceof power betweena handful of leadersand a massof followers. Thersites, therudeand uglycripple, usually takesOdysseus and Achilles forhisbutts;thistimethepattern is reversed. The menlaughto findthemselves on theside of theleaders, in reverse of their behaviour a short timebefore. As a final I wouldliketo turn example, to theparables in theNew Testament to suggest thatwhen the socialstructure is not depicted, it is unlikely thatwe can perceive'told' jokes even when thejoke formis clearly in the verbal present utterance. Many of the parables have an obviousjoke pattern: the kingdomof heavenlikenedto a mustard seed (Luke I3: I9; Mark 4: 3 I-2), the prayers of the complacent Pharisee placed secondafter the humbleprayer of the publican (Luke I8: Io-i4), theguestwho takesthelowestplace and is brought up to the top, to citea few.Many incidents in the Gospelnarrative itself also have a joke form, theweddingat Cana to takeonly one. But whereasthe Gospelincidents present littledifficulty in' the lightof the messagethat'the things thatare imwithmenare possible withGod' (Luke i8: 27), someof theparables possible do. Why was thepoorfellow withno weddinggarment boundand castintotheplace of darkness withweepingand gnashing of teeth (Matthew 22: II-14)? Why was theunjust steward commended formaking friends withMammon(LukeI6: i-9)? How does thisaccord with the messageof love and truth? I suggest thatthe difficulties arisebecausewe are lackingsignals fromthesocialsituation. Suppose that theGalileeaudience, as soonas it heard'Let me tellyou a parable'settled into thesameexpectant joking mood thatwe do on hearing 'Do you know theriddle about.. .?' Thenwe couldinterpret theparables asjokes,told at a rattling frankly pace, withdramatic each reaching pausesforeffect, higher and higher climaxes and ridicule. of absurdity The punishment of theman withno weddinggarment as a necessary then correction appears to theobviously funny story oftherichman whosesocialequals,having refused hisinvitation to a feast, foundtheir places were filledby beggarsfromthe street (Matthew22: 2-IO). Could the kingdomof

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the ofriff-raff No-that wouldbe to miss then? with be filled anykind heaven thebest are not necessarily uppermost True,the socially pointof thestory. about impression thewrong Butto correct ofheaven. for thekingdom qualified willbe There thegate-crasher. against a newjoke hasto be introduced riff-raff, thought. ofreligious as a vehicle the jokeform about tosaylater more it correunless a joke cannot be perceived that I haveestablished I hopethat andeven further go a step butI would ofthe social experience: form tothe sponds imperatively calls inthesocial structure ofajoke form that theexperience suggest a feeble joy which it.Hencethedisproportionate joke to express foran explicit ofpeople a group lift, inthe stuck being Inthe caseofa bishop releases. joke often one: normal the which overthrows relevant pattern ina newly together arerelated about said hasbeen pertinent something the smallest jest, makes oneofthem when is time a joke at theright with which Hencetheenthusiasm structure. thesocial the whether nextwill be seento be funny: happens Whatever hailed. always andbecomes switch right the discovers hierarchy nolonger relevant inthe lowliest outto be thebest turns himself thebishop or whether of themighty, saviour hasmade the bishop with willbecome joy unless heady the atmosphere mechanic, theexternal hierarchy. ofimposing themistake ofa enjoyment that may be,isadded whatever ofthe jokeitself, pleasure To the With thesocial structure. ofthe with joke structure hidden wit,thecongruence mirrors control for disturbed bodily ofappositeness: is a third level there laughter to ofananswer isthe Here there germ structure. andthe social both the jokestructure (I964). discussed byKoestler should laughter, ofwhytickling provoke thepuzzle ofwit,is funny the same analysis Bergson-Freud Koestler, using says Tickling, itistickled when more Thebaby as a mock attack. laughs itisinterpreted because be sure one can never (Koestwith than strangers bya stranger; byitsownmother
is really a a stranger making aboutwhether ler I964: 8o-2). But to theuncertainty strangers. with relation is no social there fact that add the or a mockattack serious like the same to anything Hence the wit is not in play in the social dimension withthe structure of the the to ofthe joke analogy Fromthecontent joke, extent. the with the of these two experience, on to the physical analogy socialstructure, Freud. that revealed a by to fourth on even level, of formal goes patterns transfer the controlof the conof the subconscious against the energy A joke unleashes of the a fourfold perception is the essential I experience, joke scious.This, argue, -of a formal pattern. congruence

as rites Jokes we are and mental ofsocial,physical experience, the joke as a symbol In classing is aside set for which we treat the then should as a rite. How it joke treating already occasions? ritual specified to and spontaneous jokes, it is necessary Once again, as with standardised rites.The joke, in its or standard ritesfromroutinised spontaneous distinguish is a spontaneous It expresses it so far, symbol. as we have discussed socialcontext is is all. The socialnichein whichit belongs butthat is happening, that something whatoughtto happen. to express whichis enacted ofritual from that quitedistinct riteis not. riteis morally while thestandard neutral, thespontaneous Similarly, at all,forthepeculiar about expresis a paradoxin talking joke rites Indeed,there

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as such.Here I need to return withritual sive character of thejoke is in contrast derived from Freud, and to contrast theway a to thegeneral idea ofjoke structure ritual does thesame. joke relates disparate ideaswiththeway a standard of act whichdrawsits meaningfroma cluster A standard riteis a symbolic I combine theaction standard symbols. WhenI usetheword'rite'inwhatfollows, associated withit. A joke hasit in commonwitha rite and thecluster of symbols ofpattern that concepts. But thekindof connexion bothconnect widelydiffering B in a joke is such thatB disparages or supplants A, while the A withpattern each otherin a unified connexion made in a riteis suchthatA and B support From whilethejoke disorganises. system. The riteimposesorderand harmony, in great rituals create unity to thesocial,to thecosmic, thephysical to thepersonal, thevalue of hierarchy and order.In doingso, theyaffirm experience. Theyassert and is validated thesymbolic of theuniverse. Each level of patterning patterning effect. Theyconwiththerest. Butjokes havetheopposite enriched by association They hierarchy and order. buttheconnexion destroys nectwidelydiffering fields, a joke is do notaffirm thedominant and devalue. Essentially values, butdenigrate an anti-rite. which use bodily I have analysedelsewhere (Douglas I966: II4-28) rituals in Indiais a ideasaboutthebody politic.The castesystem symbolism to express casein point.The symbolism theideasaboutpollution andpurification underlying in commonwithwit; it transfers has something of value on a declining patterns economy. The lowest one context to another withelegant slopeof prestige from social ranksin the castesystem are thoserequiredto perform social functions to theexcretory functions ofthebody.Thereis thebasis forajoke in the equivalent ofbodilyandsocialsymbolism, since butthejokeis absent twopatterns congruence is not undermined by are related either The hierarchy beingchallenged. without thecomparison, but rather reinforced. Totemicsystems makeplay withformal are transanalogs.The samepatterns context to context withexquisite and grace.But they arenot economy posedfrom ofajoke isabsent, theelement ofchallenge. One oftheessential requirements funny. Madame Calame-Griaule's recent I givean examplefrom book (I966) on Dogon thatmightbe called a kind of linguistic something language.She has analysed The Dogon usea limited number ofclasses ofspeech as a basisforclassitotemism. wide ranges of otherexperience. With speechof themarket place,forinfying commerce and weaving.Thereis an obviousanalogyfrom are classified stance, interaction. Here we have economyin connecting two kindsof constructive up but no humour.Take the class of speechthatDogon call disparate activities, ofwomen.Thisincludes certain forms thespeech ofinsect, animal 'trivial speech', idea fortheclassassociated with'trivial and humanlife.The controlling speech' The workin thisclassis thesower'sbroadcasting of seed; thered is dissipation. thefarmer hasplanted is theappropriate who comesto eatthecropsafter monkey in theclass;thedespised Fulaniherder who pastures hiscattle on thestubble animal withit. The insect it is thehumanassociated is thegrasshopper, after harvesting as iteats, an obvioustype offruitless to defecate as fast effort. The references alleged forms of activity and to uncontrolled bowel movements has a deto despised fortheidle chatter of women. The rangeof behaviour on rogatory implication whichthepattern of 'trivial from human Dogon to speech'is imposed degenerates

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thento insect to the humanFulani,fromhumanto animalpest, pestand finally of the body. As the classification functions moves down fromone excretory context to thenext,it slights and devalues. Thereis thepossibility of a joke here. theknownpretensions ofwomento utter Ifit werechallenging important speech, it would havethemaking ofa joke. But,giventhelow placeof womenin Dogon of malesuperiority, to be thedeadlyearnest it is morelikely affirmation in esteem, whichcasethis classification theestablished socialorder. The message of a supports is that theordained ofsociallifeareinescapable. standard rite The message patterns ofa joke is thatthey are escapable. A joke is by nature an anti-rite. it shouldbe approached none thelessas a rite. Whenjokingis usedin a ritual, is first andforemost Likeanyother rite the a setofsymbols. Itssymbolism joke rite rites draw on thefull drawson thefullexperience ofjoking, just as communion of eating,rightdown to the digestive and sexual ritesand experience process, of sex and death.So we shouldexpectthejoke sacrifice draw on theexperience of the Thiswill give the riteto exploit all theelements joke in itsessential nature. of ritual fullexplanation a play upon forms, can joking.Jokes, beingthemselves well serveto express aboutsocialforms. Recall thatthejoke connects something and disorganises. senseand hierarchy. The joke ritethenmustexpress a It attacks Ifit devalues situation. socialstructure, it celebrates comparable perhaps something It couldbe saying elseinstead. aboutthevalue ofindividuals as against something in whichthey are organised. thevalue of thesocialrelations Or it couldbe saying of one obvious something aboutdifferent levelsof socialstructure; theirrelevance of a submerged and unappreciated leveland therelevance one. JohnBarnes(I954: 43) usedtheterm'network'to indicate an undifferentiated field offriendship In hisunpublished and acquaintance. MorganLectures (personal communication) VictorTurnerhas suggested thattheword 'community' could be appliedto thispartof sociallife.In 'community' thepersonal relations of men in a special andwomenappear light. Theyform partoftheongoing process which in the wider social 'structure'. is only partlyorganised Whereas'structure' is thesystem, in thecontext differentiated and channels of 'comauthority through rolesare ambiguous, munity', lackinghierarchy, disorganised. 'Community'in withit; good fellowship, this sense haspositive valuesassociated warm spontaneity, ritual as expressing contact. Turner seessomedionysian thevalueof ' community' Thisanalysis nameto,andclarifies, as against 'structure'. whatI have givesa better of the non-structure elsewhere called the experience in contrast to the crudely structure andjokes, sincetheyattack classification (Douglas I966: I02). Laughter forexpressing andhierarchy, in this sense of areobviously aptsymbols community socialrelations. undifferentiated unhierarchised, PeterRigby (I968) has developedthisapproachin his surveyof all typesof in which in Gogo culture. He starts withinterclan relationship jokingis required joking,thengoes on to affinal joking,grandparent/grandchild joking,and finally brother sonsand between mother's and sister's cross-cousins. Each jokingbetween kindofjokinghasitsown rulesand quality ofjoke required. He concludes from in as distinct hissurvey that he needstheconcept of' community' from 'structure' of behaviour:'In Gogo society orderto interpret thispattern it is relationships the "community"; thatis affinal, with and throughwomen which establish kin' (Rigby I968: I52). and uterine matrilateral

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Interclan links andlinks with aliens andenemies areincluded in a general class alongwith links through women. Starting from an ego-centred universe ofkin, theGogohavedeveloped a cosmic model: jokingcategories arecontrasted with control categories; jokingcategories are linksor mediators between different domains. organised Gogousetheideaofjokingcategories to express thefading outofsocial control atallpoints andinall directions. Itis a boundary image, but theboundaries arefuzzy andfacetwoways;oneis structured, theother is unstructured. Boundaries connect as wellas separate. Womenare theboundaries of thepatrilineal lineage. Affines stand outof reach of clanandlineage control but theyare links.Clansare bounded but are linked as clans, by exogamy. 'Grandfathers arelinks or mediators withtheunstructured worldof thespirits of thedeadwho are not distinguished on thebasisof linealdescent' (Rigby which Herewe havean analysis outcosmological brings implications hidden ofjoking. A joke confronts in thenature one relevant structure by another less onewell-differentiated viewbya lesscoherent clearly relevant, one,a system of onetowhich control itdoesnotapply. byanother independent By using jokesat social theGogoarebeing boundary points at several levels: witty they comment on thenature ofsociety, oflife andon the nature anddeath. Their joke rites play of articulation, uponone central thecontrast abstraction, and they develop the ofthis with ofinveterate application the Atthe division symbol energy punners. of ata funeral, the heirs aretoldbytheelders meat tospeak ifthey mumble clearly: sonwilltake sister's isanexplicit the everything (Rigby I968: I49). Here reference inspeech asthe ofstructured toarticulateness andinarticulatesymbol relationships ofthe as thesymbol ness undifferentiated network. personal, Theinterpretation oftheGogojoke rites as an abstract oftwokinds statement is highly interaction ofsocial Theinterpretation ofKaguru satisfactory. joke rites of an association andliminality I find as an expression madebetween sex,filth to Beidelman, theKaguru usejokingto express dubious. 'liminal' According is ambiguous that ones.The range of relationships in which relations, Kaguru asthe ismuch the same ofGogojoking relations. Itwould requirejoking range seem plausible that theego-oriented viewof sociallife(as either differentiated by a orundifferentiated), isenough towarrant ofcontrol between these pattern joking isanaptenough ofundifferentiated, andthat dirt categories, expression unorganised, relations. uncontrolled from remains to distinguish as such. It still jokesin general obscenity Theyare close. Ajoke confronts oneaccepted with So does another. obviously very pattern ofthe the second shocks. Both consist Thefirst anobscene intrusion image. amuses, but a meaning onanother, whereas the hidden ofonemeaning under jokediscloses ofthe theobscenity is a gratuitous intrusion. We areunable theappearance first, without thetotal situation. social to identify joke patterns considering Similarly abominations context to be perceived as such. forobscenity, depend uponsocial is which normal in male is as obscene in mixed Language company regarded of is the offensive where social distance society; language intimacy reigns and, ofthe room the where similarly, language dissecting intimacy belongs. Inevitably, andobscenity the difference between isbyreference the best wayofstating joking it mirrors to thesocial context. Thejoke works when social it exists only forms;
I968:
I52).

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isidentified ofitscongruence social Butthe byvirtue with the structure. obscenity to thesocial hence itsoffence. byitsopposition structure, In themodern do notembrace industrial world thecategories ofsocial life the physical universe ina single Ifthere there aremoral moral order. isa social offence, such andso on.But implications as cruelty, oftheinnocent, impiety, corruption or epidemics. is not thought famines thesocialoffence Obto release floods, interms for for usisa mild since itcannowbeaccounted of scenity offence, entirely to comprehend offence against socialcategories. Thisleavesus unqualified the ofobscenity Forthere the of much offence ina primitive culture. greater categories onsocial forms is as social life co-ordinate thewhole ofexperience: a direct pttack inwhich as anattack onanyofthe the social forms disturbing symbolic categories are expressed-and then hasa much viceversa.The idea of obscenity greater andpower, is stronger. It isbetter to usea quite range andtheresponse ittriggers such as abomination orritual different for theprimitive culture's word, pollution, equivalent to obscenity and systeandto lookfora much morewhole-hearted for with matic outoftheoffence than we canmuster wiping dealing obscenity. ofexperiAbomination isanactorevent which basic contradicts the categories enceandin doing ofreason andtheorder ofsociety. so threatens both theorder ofthesort. a temporary ofthesocial A joke doesnothing It represents suspension or in a little disturbance which the structure,rather itmakes particular structuring of society lessrelevant becomes thananother. But thestrength of itsattack is restricted consensus onwhich itdepends for entirely bythe recognition. The joker Nowweshould turn tothe ofthejoker. role tobea privileged He appears person whocansaycertain ina certain confers He is byno things waywhich immunity. means anything like a taboo breaker whose polluting actisa real offence tosociety. He is worth with rituals oftransition, mourners contrasting persons undergoing andinitiands. arein marginal Symbolically, they states, oneclearly passing from status to another. defined to themselves Theyareheldto be dangerous andto others until havegonethrough thewhole ofredefinition. they ritual In thesymbolisation of thesocialstructure, haveletgo their andaretemthey moorings Butthe to danger. porarily displaced. jokeris notexposed He hasa firm holdon hisownposition in thestructure andthedisruptive comments which he makes uponit arein a sense thecomments ofthesocialgroup uponitself. He merely consensus. Safewithin expresses thepermitted of attack, range he lightens for of socialreality, theoppressiveness its arbitrariness everyone demonstrates by offormality ingeneral, making light andexpresses the creative possibilities ofthe situation. From this wecanseethe asritual appropriateness ofthejoker purifier. Among the certain common sexual offences such as sexual Kaguru, intercourse between affines arethought to bring or death on thekinof thetwo offenders. illness, sterility Thereare other sexual butthese graver minor offences, relatively onescan be cleansed of thetransgressors ritually by thejokingpartners (Beidelman I966: onjoking 36I-2). A similar responsibility falling partners among theDogonled to describe Griaule their as cathartic ofpurification partnership (I948). Rites are a very ofjoking in central widespread andeastAfrica, responsibility partners as

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(Tew I95i) thatthe commented Stefaniszyn (I95o) has pointedout. I myself withoutan analysis could not be understood joking aspectsof the relationships of that therelevance Now I suggest andpurification. betweenjoking oftherelation makea pun. Theserites elaborate ritual as another emerges joking to purification at thelevelof emois cathartic itself doubleplayon the laughter joke experience: it; the and belittling structure a dominant in challenging tions;thejoke consists is chosen to challengethe relevanceof the joker who provokesthe laughter theact whichwipes out the dominant and to perform withimmunity structure venialoffence. fromhis apparent can be derivedphilosophically The joker's own immunity structure. Such accessis by therelevant accessto other reality thanthatmediated in whichhe deals.Hisjokes exposetheinadequacy in thecontrast offorms implied of experience and so releasethe pent-uppower of the of realiststructurings imagination. Though onlya thejoker shouldbe classedas a kindof minormystic. Perhaps type,he is one of thosepeople who pass beyondthe and border-line mundane and give glimpses of a truth whichescapes through boundsof reasonand society ofthe poorbrother he is onlya humble, Naturally themeshofstructured concepts. to form a forhisinsights Theydo notcombine truemystic, aregivenby accident. which ofthetechnique butremain as a result wholenewvisionoflife, disorganised One would expect him to be the gimmicky. producesthem.He is distinctly the focus but hardly as among theWinnebago, mythology, objectof a hilarious in ancientGreece; of a religious cult. And yet therehe is, enshrined-Proteus in Hinduism;and the unprethe elephantgod who gives luck and surprises creativeforcecalled Legba in Yoruba religion(Wescott dictable,disruptive, The to say,he is alwaysa subordinate in a complex pantheon. deity I962). Needless He of interpretation. kinds a wealthof new,unforeseeable joker as god promises that thesymbol ofcreativity is contained in ajoke, forajoke implies which exploits is possible. anything By restraining It is mucheasiernow to see the role of thejoker at a funeral. excessive the demandsof the living.I would expectjoking at griefhe asserts is to be more possibleand more requiredthe more the community funerals phase.Then confident thatit will turn themourner's desolation intoa temporary is: who must degree ofrelationship thequestion be hisprecise joke andwhatshould is a friend and the dead? The central African withthebereaved joking partner hisrole andhospitality, andis by definition nota closekinsman: cultivated by gifts of duties is to cheerthebereaved at a funeral and to relieve themof thepolluting burial. Thereareheretheelements of another ritual pun; forit is thekinwho are in thesocial withthedead,thekinwho areinvolved endangered bycontact ritually thejoking friend, of inheritance and succession, and it is the personal structure in thesocialstructure who is uninvolved andis theperson who is immune partner, ofdeath. from pollution When Therearemanywaysin whichit can be appropriate tojoke at a funeral. fallto reviewing a man dieshisfriends hislife.They tryto see in it some artistic some fulfilment which can comfort him and them.At thismoment pattern, and disharmonies If he is a greatman,a are distressing. obviousinconsistencies to be of coursehisachievements are cited, butit seemsimportant national figure,

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in hisprivate he alsohadfulfilled Ifhe is an ableto saythat life hisfamily roles. then theassessment ofhissuccess citizen at thelevelof ordinary goeson entirely andcommunity. He isjudged structure. family asa man, notasanitem ofsocial tohis funeral could callattention ofthejoker atthe Therole individual personalfriends who ity. Indeed, inthe Jewish shib'ah, a weekofmourning after burial, the intocomfort the bereaved the themselves come andpraise departed, invariably find athisexpense. Thusthey affirm notonly a father joking that hewasanindividual, ina series ofdescending for the social orbrother generations, buta man.So much symbolism. it is tempting offuneral to consider somemetaphysical On thesubject joking A joke symbolises andrecreation. As a symbol implications. levelling, dissolution itisdestructive relations ofsocial like andregenerative (somewhat (somewhat fire?) Thejoke,working on itsownmaterials, ofdeath. Its likewater?). mimics a kind Itisnocoincidence initself thetheme ofrebirth. form that practical jokes suggests ininitiation with ofdying and arecommon more concrete rites, along expressions When reborn. Vansina underwent theBushong being Jan boys'initiation (I955) of nonat theexpense either involved in practical he was continually joking, ofthe oratthe ofnovices towhich initiates Oneafter expense group hebelonged. much ordeals the dreaded were revealed tobe only tricks. another Metaphysical jokes cansymbolise so much, itcould be capable Ifthe something jokeform ofsaying ofreligion. death itself inthecontext about from to toitspsychological itssocial these the We havetraced punfrom form, in laughter, and from thespontaneous of social itsphysical expression symbol to thestandardised thevalueoflessarticulate relationships joke rite, expressing with formalised structures. ofsocial Atfunerals it sectors relationships compared of man value the or of the the value disinterested or friendship expresses himself, in which most is effective. ofa man's life It thevalueofthelevelofcommunity of bold to that the ritual after all not too these joking seems, this, suggest by path too havereached a philosophy of theabsurd. cultures African the By revealing nature of theverycategories of thought, their by lifting arbitrary, provisional andsuggesting other for a moment reality, the joke pressure waysofstructuring ofthe moments ofreligion sacred hints middle atunfathomable inthe rite mysteries. which attributes to thepractical Turner Thisis themessage of joke at thecentre ofChihamba tribe inZambia. thecult performed bytheNdembu tothe the initiates white asthe First source ofall payhomage great spirit, Kavula, histabernacle, asthey tostrike then aretold hiseffigy under power; approach they andthen that cloth with their have killed him. Soonafter a white they rattles, they andthat that areinnocent, heisnotdead, andthe aretold under they paraphernalia isrevealed than cloth tobe no more some the white Everyeveryday implements. anelaborate Turner onethen says: laughs joyfully. Following exegesis,
of a universal-human ... we have in Chihambathe local expression thatof problem, be thought to essences. whatcannot It is a expressing subjugation of,in view of thought's of ritual attention man in all placesand ages. whichhas engagedthepassionate problem which hasconfronted musicians andpoets Itisa problem, whenever these furthermore, artists, theconsideration ofaesthetic form andsocialmanners havegonebeyond (I962: 87).

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of a primitive It is unfortunate thatTurner cult presented hisnovelinterpretation in neo-scholastic terms. The onlyserious consideration whichhisstudy hasreceived attacks thispresentation. Horton(I964) arguesthatthewhole complexof ontological problemswith which Turner has saddled Ndembu theologians, the distinction betweenthe act-of-being itself (an act) and the conceptof being(an of Thomist-Aristotelian He essence)only makessensein the terms philosophy. criticism to thisapproach.Further, Horton deftly appliesthe logical positivist abouttheultimate rejects theidea that 'a dominant concemto " saytheunsayable" can be foundin all African groundof all particular forms of existence' religions in all religions (I964: 96-7), still less,as Turner says,universally whatever. thesis. to dareto Thesecriticisms by-pass themainchallenge ofTurner's Merely interpret a ritualmock-killing of a god in one particular African religion as an to express of thecategories unfathomable abouttheinadequacy attempt mysteries ofthought forexpressing ofexistence is boldenough. thenature LeaveoutTurner's it may be or it maynot be. claimthatthisis a universal humanpre-occupation; Forgethis presentation in scholastic terms;it could as well have been presented through Kant or Kierkegaardeor modern phenomenologists as through Aquinas.It is stilla daringclaimthathe makesfortheprofound meaning of an African and complexity withwhichhe spins joke rite.For all thesubtlety out the symbolism, my own first was one of doubt.It was thefirst response serious sugthatritualswhich have no formal gestionby a contemporary anthropologist could be concerned in their philosophical exegesis nativeculture with problems of to whichare, undeniably, about the relation thought experience a universal on theuse ofthe ofphilosophy. After in Africa, pre-occupation reflecting joke rite I am now muchmoreconvinced thatTurner African maybe right. cultures have of wit by playing reached an apotheosis clearly upon thejoke at various levelsof to thejoke ritea subtle It is not a greatleap fromattributing meaning. imageof ofhumanknowledge. to attributing also to it an imageof theconditions society isnotthepointatwhichI wouldwishto endthis article. But this Thereis another thesocialcontrol ofexperience. whichshouldbe underlined: It is here implication and conditions that ofsocialforms limits theapprehension thepatterning of argued from ofthejokeform Thismaybe extended theperception forms. symbolic to the perceptionof other patterns, hierarchy, part-wholerelations, unity,schism, The control exerted in thesocialdimenincorporation, exclusion. by experience is alreadytakeninto accountin of conceptual sion over theperception patterns Thisstudy of the and in religious learning theory sociology. joke ritesuggests that of consonance realms of experience between different is a source theachievement It suggests thatthedriveto reducedissonance ofprofound satisfaction. maywork at a moreabstract hitherto. levelthanhas beenrecognised The exercise of tracing drawninjoke rites theanalogies to Kandinsky's famous givesadditional meaning on a circleproduces an effect no less sayingthattheimpactof an acutetriangle of God touching the finger of Adam in Michelangelo's thanthefinger powerful fresco. famous
NO TE

of thisarticle received valuablecriticism fromthe Makerere Earlyversions Conference theMuirhead in DecemberI966, and from onJoking Relationships, Society, Birmingham.

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