<i>‘Just kidding?’</i> – an exploratory audience study into the ways Flemish youth with a minoritized ethnic identity make sense of ethnic humor and the politics of offense

Abstract Recently, ethnic humor (targeting ethnoreligious identities) is increasingly questioned in European and Western countries, sparking controversy on online traditional media platforms. Absent from the mediated academic debate are opinions targeted subjects of joke. This qualitative audience study aims to add critical scholarship by providing insight into how groups make sense disputes offense. We interviewed 35 participants (ages 15–24) with a minoritized identity (mostly Moroccan or Turkish diasporic background) religious (all identified as Muslim) they negotiate offensive (ethnic) humor. Moreover, we asked reflect politics offense (i.e. power relations underlying process publicly claiming offense) role play discussion offended feelings relation A thematic analysis three focus indicates participants’ negotiations were always influenced contextual factors tied their identities, both sociopolitical personal level. Further, highly conscious about position debates this relates societal inequalities. As such, recognized regarding highlight boundaries between social groups.