TY - CHAP

T1 - Interrogating the Phenomenon of Suffering and Smiling by Nigerians: A Mixed Methods Study

AU - Inya, Onwu

AU - Blessing, T.

PY - 2024/6/1

Y1 - 2024/6/1

N2 - This chapter examines the phenomenon of suffering and smiling amongst Nigerians. It operationalises this phenomenon as a show of resilience and agency by Nigerians in the face of personal, and especially, socio-political troubles, occasioned by leadership failure. In order to achieve the aim of the study, an online survey that requested Nigerians to self-report their emotional and cognitive responses to cartoon depictions of Nigeria’s experience of recession was designed. The choice of recession cartoons was strongly motivated by the assumption that the caricaturing of suffering might have the potential of evoking the feelings of amusement together with those associated with suffering. The study adopted a mixed methods approach which accommodated both quantitative and qualitative analyses. Key quantitative findings indicated that Nigerians considered the caricaturing of the recession as a coping strategy, and the phenomenon of suffering and smiling as a cultural response to troubles, a show of resilience, among others. The overall emotional reactions of the respondents to the recession cartoons could be described as high feelings of unhappiness, insecurity and dissatisfaction about the recession experience and with the leadership of the country. Futhermore, the failure of leadership underscored the participants’ emphasis on the agency of Nigerians with respect to taking their destinies in their own hands. The chapter concludes that the phenomenon of suffering and smiling as a show of resilience and agency might account for the happy, upbeat disposition of Nigerians despite troubles.

AB - This chapter examines the phenomenon of suffering and smiling amongst Nigerians. It operationalises this phenomenon as a show of resilience and agency by Nigerians in the face of personal, and especially, socio-political troubles, occasioned by leadership failure. In order to achieve the aim of the study, an online survey that requested Nigerians to self-report their emotional and cognitive responses to cartoon depictions of Nigeria’s experience of recession was designed. The choice of recession cartoons was strongly motivated by the assumption that the caricaturing of suffering might have the potential of evoking the feelings of amusement together with those associated with suffering. The study adopted a mixed methods approach which accommodated both quantitative and qualitative analyses. Key quantitative findings indicated that Nigerians considered the caricaturing of the recession as a coping strategy, and the phenomenon of suffering and smiling as a cultural response to troubles, a show of resilience, among others. The overall emotional reactions of the respondents to the recession cartoons could be described as high feelings of unhappiness, insecurity and dissatisfaction about the recession experience and with the leadership of the country. Futhermore, the failure of leadership underscored the participants’ emphasis on the agency of Nigerians with respect to taking their destinies in their own hands. The chapter concludes that the phenomenon of suffering and smiling as a show of resilience and agency might account for the happy, upbeat disposition of Nigerians despite troubles.

U2 - 10.1007/978-3-031-52288-8_11

DO - 10.1007/978-3-031-52288-8_11

M3 - Contributions to collected editions/anthologies

SN - 978-3-031-52287-1

SP - 241

EP - 262

BT - The Palgrave Handbook of Humour Research

A2 - Vanderhaiden, E.

A2 - Mayer, C.H.

PB - Palgrave Macmillan

ER -