{"product_id":"comedians-and-politics-a-transatlantic-history-from-the-1920s-to-the-2020s-volume-1-the-united-states-9781805968054","title":"Comedians and Politics: A Transatlantic History from the 1920s to the 2020s - Volume 1: The United States","description":"\u003cp\u003eFrom vaudeville stages to late-night television, comedians have long shaped - and been shaped by - American politics. \u003cstrong\u003eComedians and Politics: Volume 1 - The United States\u003c\/strong\u003e traces a century-long relationship between humour, power and public life, revealing how comedians have both reflected and contested the political order.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeginning in the 1920s and the twilight of vaudeville, the book examines the shifting constraints placed on comedians and the ways performers navigated race, gender and political authority. It explores the rise of figures such as Will Rogers, whose practice of 'kidding the famous' forged a new relationship between comedy and political elites, before turning to the Cold War era through case studies of Charlie Chaplin and Bob Hope - two contrasting figures whose careers illuminate the ideological pressures of the time.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLater chapters chart the fragmentation of American comedy in the age of civil rights, feminism and counterculture, analysing the work of influential stand-ups including Lenny Bruce, Dick Gregory, George Carlin, Richard Pryor and Bill Hicks. The book concludes with the emergence of contemporary political satire - from Saturday Night Live to The Daily Show - and the turbulent politics of the Trump era.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWritten in a lively and accessible style, this volume offers a sweeping cultural history of American comedy while asking a fundamental question: what happens when laughter collides with power?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Stephen Wagg\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Liverpool University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/11\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSeries:\u003c\/b\u003e Liverpool Studies in the Politics of Popular Culture\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 264\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.67lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.94d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781805968054","brand":"Liverpool University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48254331519113,"sku":"9781805968054","price":160.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0636\/9240\/6921\/files\/img_8d5a4d82-ef82-420d-ae39-b9a48b8924fa.jpg?v=1788299842","url":"https:\/\/sonsanddaughtersbooks.com\/products\/comedians-and-politics-a-transatlantic-history-from-the-1920s-to-the-2020s-volume-1-the-united-states-9781805968054","provider":"Sons and Daughters Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}