Author: Kuus, Merje

Source: Geopolitics, Volume 13, Number 2, April 2008 , pp. 257-277(21)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

Abstract:

This article uses the character of Josef Svejk from the popular Czech novel The Good Soldier Svejk and his Fortunes in the World War to illuminate the subversive effects of irony and self-deprecating humour on dominant geopolitical narratives. Empirically, my examples focus on the coverage of NATO invitation in major Estonian newspapers in 2002. Theoretically, these examples highlight the subtlety of resistance and the central role of irony in it. By foregrounding Svejkian absurd obedience, which is nonetheless highly subversive, the article contributes to a better understanding of popular geopolitics, resistance geopolitics, and more broadly, the role of human agency in geopolitical discourses.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14650040801991506

Affiliations: 1: Department of Geography, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Publication date: 2008-04-01

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