Prompt must be based on these two readings: Donna M. Goldstein, Laughter
Out of Place, 2013 edition AND Shahram Khosravi, Young and Defiant in Tehran
The carnivalesque (note: not the same as the annual celebration of Carnival) is a central concept for
Donna Goldstein’s and Shahram Khosravi’s ethnographic studies. First, define and explain what those
authors mean by the carnivalesque. Why is the carnivalesque associated with cultures deemed ‘low’ or
‘other’ whose ‘tastes’ go against mainstream norms? Second, explain the carnivalesque as it appears in
the contexts of Rio de Janeiro and Tehran. What is the mainstream ‘taste’? Through what specific
forms does the carnivalesque manifest? How do these forms reflect their particular histories and
cultures (Brazil and Iran)? Third, what are the effects of the carnivalesque; what does it ‘do’ or
‘accomplish’?
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