Abstract
Should there be an ethics of humour regulating cartoons as satirical artworks, and if so, what would that ethics look like? I argue in this dissertation that satirical cartoons, particularly those of South African cartoonist Zapiro, are not merely intended to provoke laughter or entertain. Radical art is used in this context as a hermeneutic tool to interpret cartoons and the jokes in conjunction to key themes of creative resistance. Such cartoons can also educate, moralise and condemn immoral behaviour, thus fulfilling a significant function within any political milieu. In this sense, they represent art as creative resistance. I provide a detailed analysis of Zapiro’s satirical cartoons to make the case that satirical artivism can rebuild trust by promoting ethical accountability and fostering creative resistance. I reject the view that satirical art infringes on the rights of unethical people or institutions, drawing on an argument I develop from Menkiti, which asserts that those who commit unethical acts lack personhood. I interpret personhood in Menkiti’s sense as a maximalist phenomenon, one that should be earned through moral achievement and social recognition.