"If I had no sense of humor, I should long ago have committed suicide," wrotethe late Mahatma Gandhi, expressing the potent power of humor to sustain anduplift. Less obvious is humor's ability to operate as a cunning weapon in nonviolentprotest movements. Over the last few decades, activists are increasinglyincorporating subversive laughter in their protest repertoires, realizing the waysin which it challenges the ruling elite's propaganda, defuses antagonism, andinspires both participants and the greater population.In this highly original and engaging work, Sombatpoonsiri explores thenexus between humor and nonviolent protest, aiming to enhance our understandingof the growing popularity of humor in protest movements around theworld. Drawing on insights from the pioneering Otpor activists in Serbia, sheprovides a detailed account of the protesters' systematic use of humor to toppleSlobadan Miloševic' in 2000. Interviews with activists, protest newsletters, anddocumentaries of the movement combine to illustrate how humor played a pivotalrole by reflecting the absurdity of the regime's propaganda and, in turn, bydelegitimizing its authority. Sombatpoonsiri highlights the Otpor activists' abilityto internationalize their nonviolent crusade, influencing youth movements in theUkraine, Georgia, Iran, and Egypt. Globally, Otpor's successful use of humorbecame an inspiration for a later generation of protest movements.