Sean Heath, Ph.D.

HUMOR

I’m thrilled to announce the publication of my latest academic article, Banter as Transformative Practice: Linguistic Play and Joking Relationships in a UK Swimming Club, now available in the journal HUMOR through De Gruyter Mouton. This study explores how banter operates as both an inclusive and exclusionary practice among competitive youth swimmers in Southeast England. Drawing on immersive fieldwork conducted from 2018 to 2022, I examine how coaches and swimmers use playful teasing and mockery to foster social bonds, build squad cohesiveness, and navigate the monotony of high-performance training environments.

Through this research, I argue that banter is far more than a morale-boosting pastime—it’s a powerful social tool that reveals how youth assert agency and test social boundaries within institutional settings. By focusing on the intersubjective processes at play in joking relationships, this article sheds light on the dynamic ways young swimmers engage with humor to negotiate their identities and relationships.

You can read the full article here, and I’d love to hear your thoughts on these findings!