In Radcliffe-Brown’s essay, “On Joking Relationship,” we are introduced to what a joking relationship consists of. The term joking relationship, according to Radcliffe-Brown, is “a relationship between two persons in which one is custom permitted, and in some instances required, to tease or make fun of the other, who in turn is required to take no offense” (Radcliffe-Brown 2016: 195). In essence, a joking relationship is teaching one, based on their culture and heritage, how to interact with their contemporaries, parents, mother’s brother, father’s sister, etc. in daily life. When trying to understand the joking relationship using Foucauldian lens, it is critical we take a look at two concepts: discourse and discipline.
Discourse are the stories we tell to create meaning in different things (Class Notes September 12, 2016). The joking relationship is all about the meaning one has for different relatives …show more content…
Discipline, to Michael Foucault, is how society regulates and influences individuals (Foucault 2016: 195). This ties really well into the joking relationship. In the joking relationship, there is a regulation on what a person can and cannot do: “The great body of his rights and duties and interests and activities that he shares with others are the result of his position” (Radcliffe-Brown 2016: 197). People in culture, or in this case the joking relationship, are geared to behaving differently with different people. It is part of the discipline. “Discipline […] is the specific technique of a power that regards individuals both as objects and as an instruments of its exercise” (Foucault 2016: 195). At the heart of it, power can be exercised through discipline. By disciplining people on how to limit their interactions with people they cannot have the joking relationship with, it classifies people in terms of power. Those who cannot be joked with are higher in power than those who could be joked
Discourse are the stories we tell to create meaning in different things (Class Notes September 12, 2016). The joking relationship is all about the meaning one has for different relatives …show more content…
Discipline, to Michael Foucault, is how society regulates and influences individuals (Foucault 2016: 195). This ties really well into the joking relationship. In the joking relationship, there is a regulation on what a person can and cannot do: “The great body of his rights and duties and interests and activities that he shares with others are the result of his position” (Radcliffe-Brown 2016: 197). People in culture, or in this case the joking relationship, are geared to behaving differently with different people. It is part of the discipline. “Discipline […] is the specific technique of a power that regards individuals both as objects and as an instruments of its exercise” (Foucault 2016: 195). At the heart of it, power can be exercised through discipline. By disciplining people on how to limit their interactions with people they cannot have the joking relationship with, it classifies people in terms of power. Those who cannot be joked with are higher in power than those who could be joked