Paper short abstract:

A conversation between Appiah and Bhabha published in 2018 elucidates why people from all over the world meet in Berlin’s anglophone comedy clubs: they laugh at ethnic stereotypes performed on stage and practice what the doyens of post-colonial thinking refer to as cosmopolitan vernacular.

Paper long abstract:

Appiah and Bhabha discuss the political situation since 2017, because Trump, Brexit and restrictive immigration policies have challenged the concepts of cosmopolitanism they put forward. Appiah observes that the problem of how to live together in a globalised world is not solved by platinum frequent flyers, cosmopolitans who never converge with anything. Bhabha draws attention to migrants who have developed a cosmopolitan vernacular − a cosmopolitanism more of necessity than of luxury – more apt to confront the challenges imposed by globalisation.

The owners of Berlin’s anglophone stand-up comedy clubs, the hosts, most comedians and members of the audience are migrants. I arrived at the venues as a platinum cosmopolitan, and it took me a while to comprehend the practices of vernacular cosmopolitanism in these clubs. My view on ethnicity was forged by discourse analytical concepts of social constructivism and the reference to ethnic stereotypes on stage was unbearable for me. One might consider jokes on the length of Asian, African and European penises racist, and I often thought of leaving a show − I stayed because paradoxically I felt comfortable in these clubs: I simply enjoyed having a beer there; it was cosy and very easy to get in touch with other people.

My aim is to show that it is not enough to analyse jokes to understand why Berlin’s anglophone comedy clubs attract people from all over the world. It is necessary to converge with the whole setting and its corresponding practices to explain what happens when they meet.