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Project

War and Fun: Reconceptualizing Warfare and Its Experience (WARFUN)

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Blog post | 2023

‘No laughter, no war’ - An exploration of soldier humor

Eva Johais (2023)
(Public Anthropologist)
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https://publicanthropologist.cmi.no/2023/01/30/no-laughter-no-war/

The blog post starts from the assumption that humor forms an integral part of military culture. More than that, it is argued that humor upholds military practice because it makes people stay. By the example of three saying, the blogpost explores how the particularities of military life shape the humor of German soldiers.

Read more:
https://publicanthropologist.cmi.no/2023/01/30/no-laughter-no-war/

Eva Johais

Senior Researcher
  • eva.johais@cmi.no

War and Fun: Reconceptualizing Warfare and Its Experience (WARFUN)

Apr 2021 - Mar 2026
  • Soldiering
  • Humor
  • Military

Also from this project:

CMI Insight | Jan 2026

Restraint in war: Why Norwegian soldiers have not been accused of war crimes in Afghanistan

Heidi Mogstad

Journal Article | 2025

Oppressive Language and Humanitarian Complicity: Reflections on Gaza and European Border Violence

Heidi Mogstad

Journal of Humanitarian Affairs

Recent CMI publications:

Blog post | Mar 2026

Hizbollah – farewell to arms?

Are J. Knudsen

Blog post | Mar 2026

War on Iran, Turmoil in Sudan: Geopolitics at the Red Sea Frontier

Munzoul Assal & Liv Tønnessen

Newspaper Op-Ed | Mar 2026

Ingen feirer kvinnedagen i Sudan

Liv Tønnessen

Blog post | Mar 2026

Iran: A “no rule” war - where might that lead?

Arne Strand

Blog post | Mar 2026

Iran: A “no rule” war - where might that lead?

Arne Strand

CMI Brief | Mar 2026

Zimbabwe’s shrinking civil society space: How human rights organisations altered their advocacy strategies

Godfrey Kanyenze

Blog post | Mar 2026

‘Everyday heroes’: How praising migrant workers exposes privilege and structural inequalities in Qatar

Mari Norbakk

Blog post | Mar 2026

Syria’s delicate balance: Performative reform vs. systemic change

Robert Forster, David Jackson

Book Chapter | Mar 2026

Ethiopia’s “Inclusive Autocracy”: Crumbling or Transforming?

Lovise Aalen

Democracy in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2000-2025: A Political Historical Reassessment

Edited Book | Mar 2026

Resilience in the Shadows:Mental Health of Vulnerable Refugees and Displaced Communities in Africa

Shahla Eltayeb, Unni Marie Heltne, Ragnhild Dybdahl

Book Chapter | Mar 2026

Tax reforms and donor support

Odd-Helge Fjeldstad

Elgar Encyclopedia of African Politics

Book Chapter | Feb 2026

What difference does it make? China and global aid

Elling Tjønneland

Chinese Development Aid and Africa. What, How, and Why

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