Discourse Construction of Gender and Sexuality in Nigerian Stand-up Comedy

Stand-up comedy is an integral part of popular culture. In sub-Saharan African countries, it is fast becoming the leading form of entertainment and avenue for critiquing culture. My project examines how stand-up comedy jokes make visible sociocultural issues, such as gender and sexuality. Specifically, it focuses on the discourse construction of gender in narratives of Nigerian stand-up comedians. As discourse analysis, my project explores how Nigerian stand-up comedians have accommodated discriminatory perspectives on gender as part of their resources for humor. I will account for how they use their routines for enshrining or combating such perspectives within Nigerian popular culture.