What’s Funny… from an Iranian-American Muslim’s Perspective
April 9, 2018
Negin Farsad
She’s a comedian, writer, actor and director. She has been named one of the “50 Funniest Women” by Huffington Post and one of the “10 Best Feminist Comedians” by Paper magazine.
She’s Negin Farsad, an Iranian-American Muslim who has made a career out of making people laugh – and think – about national and international social justice issues. She is the author of How to Make White People Laugh (Grand Central Publishing, 2016) – and works very hard at doing that.[ct_end_excerpt] As she wrote in the Boston Globe: “It’s not just a funny title. My whole career has been me trying to figure out how to make white people laugh.”
She just might make you laugh too – no matter your race, color, nationality, political affiliation or creed – so come see her at the Little Theatre at Roosevelt Hall, Tuesday, 4/24, 11 a.m. – noon.
As one of only a few Iranian-American Muslim female comedian/filmmakers, Farsad uses humor — full-scale ridiculousness — to bridge racial, religious, social and immigrant gaps. Negin has devoted much of her career to social justice comedy, addressing serious issues such as Islamophobia, immigrant rights, bigotry and any general lameness foisted on people because of race, religion or socio-economic class.
“Negin Farsad is a comedian sui generis,” says Dr. Michaela Porubanova, assistant professor of cognitive psychology and chair of FSC’s Artist and Lecturers Program. “She fights for social justice and eliminating misconceptions, particularly about Islam, while making people laugh. In this cultural moment, it is crucial to bring speakers like her to campus and to have our ideas about the world challenged – and to have a laugh.”
For more information, email Dr. Michaela Porubanova
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