Humour- Commons Library

6 hands in the air holding different shapes with their fingers such as a thumbs up

Defending Democracy with Humor and Dilemma Actions Tactics

Explore how humor and dilemma actions empower pro-democracy movements by exposing authoritarian absurdities and fostering community resilience.

Overcoming Despair and Apathy to Win Democracy

Lessons on movement building from one of the founders of the Serbian student movement that brought down dictator Slobodan Milosevic.

|A diagram shaped liked a flower. In the middle the title is 'six characteristics of nannagogy philosophy'. Each petal has a different word and colour which are 1.Disorganized

Cheeky and Disorganized: Nannagogy and the Knitting Nannas

Learn about the 6 characteristics of the Knitting Nannas, groups of cheeky, disorganised, supportive older women activists against fracking.

Grevillea: Creative Interventions in Western Australia during the 1990s

An interview with a member of the Western Australia-based Grevillea about how the group applied a dynamic and creative perspective to approaching issues such as militarism, pollution and international solidarity during the 1980s and 1990s.

silhouette of hand putting a voting ballot into a box

Elections and Activism: Case Studies

A collection of case studies of how activists have intervened in elections collated by The Commons Social Change Library.

Humorous Political Stunts: Nonviolent Public Challenges to Power

An exploration of how creative activists combine humour with seriousness via stunts to create change, including a case study of the John Howard Ladies’ Auxiliary Fan Club.

A young man with red hair and wearing glasses points to a blackboard sign titled 'Melbourne Fringe'. His finger points to the 'Sold Out' sticker next to 'Sustainable Standup'.

The Case for Laughter in Social Movements

Comedian and community organiser Maxwell J Smith writes about how our movements and campaigns need art, creativity and laughter.

A poster with an illustration of two people underneath the word Solidarity. One holds an Aboriginal flag and one a Palestinian flag.|A sticker with Pride and Trans colours and an Antifa flag which reads Anti-Fascism is Community Self-Defence.

Items of Mass Instruction: Posters, Stickers, Memes and More

Creative tactics for social change: Different ways of spreading messages and information in a creative way… memes, posters, postcards, stencils, etc.

Extinction Rebellion members in disco outfits dance outside of the Victorian Parliament.|Two women wearing 1950s style clothes and pearl jewellery have faces painted black like they have used coal as make-up.||Ride Against Uranium poster.|Cyclists at a critical mass event hold their bicycles above their heads.|People dressed in costumes with a placard reading 'Libs 4 Famine

Pranks, Performances and Protestivals: Public Events

Creative tactics for social change: A number of examples of fun, empowering and engaging actions incorporating a creative approach.

Activism and the Power of Humour

This paper uses Australian case studies to demonstrate the continued evolution of the use of humour in environmental, peace, and social justice movements.

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