The Role and Use of Humorous Exchanges Among Men in Two All-male Vocational Work Settings

Context: This paper explores the role of humour among men in two male-dominated vocational settings in Denmark: a train maintenance workshop and professional restaurant kitchens. Draw-ing on two ethnographic studies, it explores humour as a social practice that bothreflects and shapes workplace culture, particularly in relation to masculinity, hierarchy, and social integra-tion.Approach: Based on phenomenologically inspired ethnographic fieldwork, including partici-pant observation, the study draws on theorists such as Collinson, Baarts, and Bourdieu. Humour is analysed as a linguistic and cultural practice embedded in everyday interactions, contributing to the reproduction of social norms and power relations.Findings: Humour operates as both a leveller and a divider. It establishes hierarchies, tests newcomers, and reinforces masculine identities. New employees are assessed not only on tech-nical competence but also on their ability to engage in local humour, which formspart of a broader cultural apprenticeship.Conclusions: Humorous exchanges are central to the social dynamics of male vocational work-places. They act as informal mechanisms of inclusion and exclusion, shaping community boundaries and identity. Understanding these practices is key to grasping how workplace cul-tures are maintained and negotiated in vocational education and training contexts.