The Oxford Handbook of African American Humor Studies

The Oxford Handbook of African American Humor Studies examines African American humor as a long-standing and influential mode of Black cultural expression at a moment of renewed scholarly and cultural attention. Over the past two decades, interest in Black humor has accelerated alongside broader conversations about race, media, and performance, producing a field marked by rapid growth and lively debate. As the first comprehensive reference work devoted to African American humor studies, this Handbook consolidates and advances this expanding field, treating humor as a serious object of study because of the work it does: organizing community, staging critique, and opening space for formal and social experimentation. This Handbook gathers scholarship across literary studies, performance studies, media studies, and cultural history to trace African American humor from slavery and minstrelsy through the Harlem Renaissance, the chitlin' circuit, stand-up comedy, experimental literature, television, film, and digital media. Contributors analyze satire, folk comedy, visual humor, and live performance, with close attention to how humor circulates across audiences and institutions. Together, these chapters reflect the field's breadth, methodological range, and growing institutional presence.