Zal ik eens een mopje vertellen? Een analyse van gendermoppen in de Kikeriki! tussen 1918 en 1937

Abstract

This thesis analyses 3819 jokes from the Kikeriki! in the Haagsche Courant between 1918 and 1937. Jokes can say something about social norms and mentality of historical societies and are therefore worth investigating. The main question states: How are the changing gender roles and norms during the interwar years in the Netherlands reflected in jokes from the Kikeriki! between 1918 and 1937? Within the jokes there has been made a distinction between three main themes: Appearance and character, sex, love and marriage and the public and private sphere. These have been analysed both quantitative and qualitative. The focus within these themes has been the introduction of the modern woman in society. The results show that changing gender roles and norms are reflected in the jokes that appeared in the Haagsche Courant between 1918 and 1937. The jokes mostly show a conservative attitude towards modern developments and the introduction of the modern woman. ‘Modern’ as a concept had a negative connotation and modern developments where the butt of the joke. This research confirms the popular view that already exist in the literature about the Netherlands during the interwar years: The Netherlands were a conservative country in comparison to other countries in Western Europe.