Negotiating Laughter: Power, Gender, and Classroom Discourse in Pakistani University Settings

Abstract

The aim of this study is to explore how laughter is used as an interactional and socially situated discourse in Pakistani university classrooms at different academic levels. A total of 29 episodes of laughter, out of 32 observed classrooms, were documented through detailed field notes, analyzing how the laughter was initiated, processed, and regulated within the classroom. The findings revealed that laughter is not only an expression of amusement, but it is also a complicated communicative discourse, which is used as a pedagogical tool to maintain power hierarchies and relations as per socio-cultural norms. At the undergraduate level, laughter usually emerges through peer interaction, errors, and witty disruptions, which sometimes slightly challenge the teacher's authority. In contrast, laughter at the postgraduate level is intellectual and critically engaging, which contributes towards further learning. It was also observed that male and female students behaved differently in class during laughter episodes; females' laughter was subtle and restricted, while males were overt and loud in their expression. Consequently, females were regulated just by gaze, while males needed verbal instructions to be disciplined. Teachers play a vital role in making laughter an instrumental part of learning while balancing authority and engagement. So, laughter is a boundary marker where classroom norms, power, and participation are continuously negotiated.