Thomas Woodward

I research the social uses of laughter in ancient Mediterranean communities. In my dissertation, “Laughing Matters in Hellenistic Judaism,” I analyze the ways that Hellenistic Jews negotiated the norms and meanings ascribed to laughter. I reveal the ways that authors such as Philo, Josephus, and the New Testament evangelists synthesize preceding ideas into new theories of laughter that serve their interests, particularly in response to perceived hostility across ethnic and theological borders. Other research, such as my article titled “Attached Critique,” examines the uses of critique in the study of religion.