(De-)Bordering by Laughter. What Can Different Kinds of Laughter Reveal About the Experiences of Everyday Bordering Among Asylum Seekers and Refugees?

This paper proposes a novel approach for analyzing the experiences of everyday bordering among people who have arrived in Finland as asylum seekers or refugees. Drawing on critical border studies, the study of laughter and the methodology of drifting, we conceptualize laughter as indicative of, and contributing to, the practices of bordering and de-bordering in the domain of everyday encounters.

We ask, what different types of laughter reveal about the borders and bordering practices within Finnish society and in which ways laughter functions in the processes of (de-)bordering. We identify five types of laughter that make visible and challenge the borders that prevail in the lives of asylum seekers and refugees. These are softening, distancing, puzzling, criticizing and connecting laughter. We argue that placing focus on the non-verbal cues of laughter helps to identify new perspectives on bordering practices and suggest novel ways in which to research and analyze these.