Joking relationship

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In anthropology, a joking relationship is a relationship between two people that involves a ritualised banter of teasing or mocking.

In Niger it is listed on the

Analysed by British social anthropologist Alfred Radcliffe-Brown in 1940,^[2] it describes a kind of ritualised banter that takes place, for example between a man and his maternal mother-in-law in some South African indigenous societies. Two main variations are described: an asymmetrical relationship where one party is required to take no offence at constant teasing or mocking by the other, and a symmetrical relationship where each party makes fun at the other's expense.

The joking relationship is an interaction that mediates and stabilizes social relationships where there is tension, competition, or potential conflict, such as between in-laws and between clans and tribes.^[3]

Extent

While first documented academically by Radcliffe-Brown in the 1920s, this type of relationship is now understood to be very widespread across societies in general. In West Africa, particularly in Mali, it is regarded as a centuries-old cultural institution known as sanankuya.

Antithesis

This type of relationship contrasts strongly with societies where so-called

See also

• Dozens (game)

Sources