Wogs as work: humour as ethnic entrepreneurship and convivial labour

Article

Carniel, Jessica and Persian, Jayne. 2023. "Wogs as work: humour as ethnic entrepreneurship and convivial labour." Continuum: Journal of Media and Cultural Studies. 37 (4), pp. 480-493. https://doi.org/10.1080/10304312.2023.2253382
Article Title

Wogs as work: humour as ethnic entrepreneurship and convivial labour

ERA Journal ID34681
Article CategoryArticle
AuthorsCarniel, Jessica and Persian, Jayne
Journal TitleContinuum: Journal of Media and Cultural Studies
Journal Citation37 (4), pp. 480-493
Number of Pages14
Year2023
PublisherTaylor & Francis
Place of PublicationAustralia
ISSN1030-4312
1469-3666
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1080/10304312.2023.2253382
Web Address (URL)https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10304312.2023.2253382
Abstract

In post-war Australia, the word ‘wog’ was used to describe the southern Europeans who dominated the mass migration schemes, particularly Italians and Greeks. The evolution of ‘wog’ from slur to celebration peaked in the 1990s, led by second-generation migrant comedians. This paper sets out the history of this evolution and the societal context in which ‘wog’ humour was invented in a uniquely ‘Australian’ way. Many of the cultural texts that make up the wog phenomenon have centred on themes of work and labour – from the original Wogs Out of Work to Pizza and Housos. This paper extends its consideration of labour in these works beyond themes in the content to argue that the act of ethnic humour is a form of convivial labour and ethnic entrepreneurship.

Keywordsethnic slurs; labour; ethnic humour; convivial labour; multiculturalism
Contains Sensitive ContentDoes not contain sensitive content
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020470211. Migrant cultural studies
430302. Australian history
449999. Other human society not elsewhere classified
Byline AffiliationsSchool of Humanities and Communication
Centre for Heritage and Culture
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