On Collaging
In her work entitled “Collage: An Art-inspired Methodology for Studying Laughter in World Politics” author, Saara Särmä turns her focus to internet parody images as a source for studying laughter in world politics and uses the art-inspired methodology of collaging as her primary medium. Due to the randomness and the challenging nature of the information that Sarma engages with, she chooses to work with the art-inspired, easily accessible medium of collage to engage and attract a broader audience.
The author characterises collage as “a playful mode of doing research that can be either theoretical, thematic, visual, or all of these at the same time.” Särmä continues by outlining the multiple ways in which using collage is a means doing scholarship in the area of International Relations (IR) without using traditional language based scholarship. According to her, collage Särmä uses the term “De-hierarchialising” to explain the way collage can “can disrupt the relationship between the writer and the reader/viewer as it aims to involve, rather than inform, the latter”.
As a teacher, using the medium of collage can open up many possibilities for teaching and learning that I had not considered before reading this article. To begin with, the simplicity and accessibility both from an ability and financial standpoint are amazing. In other words, this is a medium that anyone can do and that most people can afford. Särmä’s work reminded me that the subject matter of collaging need not be silly or superfluous. There are opportunities to work with the medium of collage on a wide range of topics from the silly to the serious.
Laughter as a Political Sentiment
The idea of laughter as a political sentiment is also central to this piece. Särmä proposes that what we laugh at can unveil relations of power. According to Särmä examining laughter as a political sentiment “directs attention to power hierarchies among and between political bodies in those moments when we laugh at something/someone”. Because so much of popular culture is from a Western dominant point of view, laughter can also be seen as a way of collectively distinguishing ourselves from the Other. Särmä aptly applies the term “hegemonic laughter” to refer to the way in which, on a global scale some of us are in on the joke and “Others” are the object of derision.
References:
Saara Särmä. “Collage: An Art-inspired Methodology for Studying Laughter in World Politics.” Caso and Hamilton, Eds. Pp. 110-119.
In her work entitled “Collage: An Art-inspired Methodology for Studying Laughter in World Politics” author, Saara Särmä turns her focus to internet parody images as a source for studying laughter in world politics and uses the art-inspired methodology of collaging as her primary medium. Due to the randomness and the challenging nature of the information that Sarma engages with, she chooses to work with the art-inspired, easily accessible medium of collage to engage and attract a broader audience.
The author characterises collage as “a playful mode of doing research that can be either theoretical, thematic, visual, or all of these at the same time.” Särmä continues by outlining the multiple ways in which using collage is a means doing scholarship in the area of International Relations (IR) without using traditional language based scholarship. According to her, collage Särmä uses the term “De-hierarchialising” to explain the way collage can “can disrupt the relationship between the writer and the reader/viewer as it aims to involve, rather than inform, the latter”.
As a teacher, using the medium of collage can open up many possibilities for teaching and learning that I had not considered before reading this article. To begin with, the simplicity and accessibility both from an ability and financial standpoint are amazing. In other words, this is a medium that anyone can do and that most people can afford. Särmä’s work reminded me that the subject matter of collaging need not be silly or superfluous. There are opportunities to work with the medium of collage on a wide range of topics from the silly to the serious.
Laughter as a Political Sentiment
The idea of laughter as a political sentiment is also central to this piece. Särmä proposes that what we laugh at can unveil relations of power. According to Särmä examining laughter as a political sentiment “directs attention to power hierarchies among and between political bodies in those moments when we laugh at something/someone”. Because so much of popular culture is from a Western dominant point of view, laughter can also be seen as a way of collectively distinguishing ourselves from the Other. Särmä aptly applies the term “hegemonic laughter” to refer to the way in which, on a global scale some of us are in on the joke and “Others” are the object of derision.
References:
Saara Särmä. “Collage: An Art-inspired Methodology for Studying Laughter in World Politics.” Caso and Hamilton, Eds. Pp. 110-119.