The Library
Negotiating knowledge and creating solidarity : humour in antenatal counselling sessions at a rural hospital in Malawi
Tools
Chimbwete-Phiri, Rachel and Schnurr, Stephanie (2017) Negotiating knowledge and creating solidarity : humour in antenatal counselling sessions at a rural hospital in Malawi. Lingua . ISSN 0024-3841.
|
PDF
WRAP-negotiating-knowledge-creating-solidarity-Schnurr-2017.pdf - Accepted Version - Requires a PDF viewer. Download (938Kb) | Preview |
Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lingua.2017.03.003
Abstract
This paper explores the role of humour in the largely under-researched context of HIV/AIDS consultations in Malawi. Drawing on audio-recordings of seven antenatal HIV/AIDS counselling sessions conducted in Chichewa (Malawi's national language) in a rural hospital, we illustrate how the counsellors skilfully utilise the multiple and often contradictory functions of humour (Schnurr and Plester 2017) to engage the pregnant women in the negotiation of knowledge and to ensure they have understood vital information about preventing HIV/AIDS from spreading to their unborn child. The counsellors in these sessions use humour to reinforce solidarity, create a friendly atmosphere, and facilitate the discussion of sensitive or taboo topics, as well as to criticise and rebuke the pregnant women for their lack of knowledge of HIV/AIDS, their lifestyle, and their lack of engagement with the counselling. Due to its capacity to realise these highly ambiguous functions – sometimes simultaneously – humour is an excellent means to assist the counsellors in achieving their objectives.
Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Subjects: | B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology | ||||||
Divisions: | Faculty of Social Sciences > Centre for Applied Linguistics | ||||||
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Wit and humor -- Therapeutic use, Wit and humor in medicine, Laughter -- Therapeutic use, AIDS (Disease) -- Social aspects -- Malawi, AIDS (Disease) -- Malawi, HIV infections -- Malawi | ||||||
Journal or Publication Title: | Lingua | ||||||
Publisher: | Elsevier BV | ||||||
ISSN: | 0024-3841 | ||||||
Official Date: | 7 April 2017 | ||||||
Dates: |
|
||||||
Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||||
Publication Status: | Published | ||||||
Date of first compliant deposit: | 19 June 2017 | ||||||
Date of first compliant Open Access: | 7 April 2018 |
Request changes or add full text files to a record
Repository staff actions (login required)
View Item |
Downloads
Downloads per month over past year