Episode hosts: Ben Nickl and Alberto Godioli

About our guest on this episode:

João Paulo Capelotti is a Brazilian legal scholar and humour studies researcher with a PhD and Master of Laws from the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR). João is a member of the International Society for Humor Studies (ISHS) and the International Society for Luso-Hispanic Humor Studies. His work explores humour and the law, focusing on Brazilian court cases and their treatment of humour. His recent publications include chapters in Judges, Judging and Humour (SpringerLink) and the DeGruyter Handbook of Humor Studies. João’s work bridges legal theory, humour, and conflict, highlighting the intersection of laughter and jurisprudence in the Global South.

Alberto Godioli is Associate Professor in European Culture and Literature at the University of Groningen and founder of the Forum for Humor and the Law (www.forhum.org). His research focuses on humor and free speech jurisprudence, and he is leading a five-year project on this topic (Humor in Court, NWO Vidi grant, 2022-2027). In 2023 he co-authored the report Humor and Free Speech: A Comparative Analysis of Global Case Law (Columbia Global Freedom of Expression). In dialogue with experts from UNESCO and the African and European Human Rights Courts among others, Alberto is currently finalizing the toolkit What’s in a Joke? Assessing Humor in Free Speech Jurisprudence (Spring 2025).

Acknowledgement of Country:

We would like to acknowledge and pay respect to the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the traditional owners and custodians of the lands on which the University of Sydney has been built, and which were taken from them without their consent, treaty or compensation. Most episodes of this podcast were recorded on this land.
This land has always been a learning space for many Aboriginal nations, and as teachers and students, and people of all kinds of origins, we can draw strength and guidance from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge, one of the oldest knowledge systems in the world.

Want to come on as a guest or co-host, or get in touch about something else? Simply email benjamin.nickl@sydney.edu.au (AHSN research coordinator and ‘Cutting Edge’ host), visit the AHSN website https://ahsnhumourstudies.org/ and follow/subscribe to us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AHSNHumour/, YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@ahsnconference or Twitter/X @AHSN_Humour.

Special thanks and all credit for editing and sound engineering goes to Jacob Craig/USYD FASS media room studios.