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Humour in the face of death is a deeply human and culturally widespread phenomenon. Across time and cultures, laughter has served as a way to confront, understand, and even domesticate mortality.

The paradoxical impulse to laugh at death takes many forms: witty epitaphs, gallows humour, jokes in eulogies, satire on mourning, and the comic imagery of funerary art. These expressions do not deny the seriousness of death and loss; rather, they offer a form of catharsis, helping individuals and communities face fear through the ludic.

Building on these observations, this panel discussion brings together four disciplinary perspectives to discuss the phenomenon across time. After a brief introductory talk, a panel discussion will unite participants from various fields, each presenting a short example from their own area of expertise. Together, we will explore how humour, irony, and satire have shaped human encounters with mortality throughout history and across cultures.

• 5:30 p.m. – Opening and welcome remarks by Viktoria Räuchle and the Collegium's directorate
• 5:40 p.m. – Panel discussion, moderated by Marie-Thérèse Mäder. With Anna Elsner (French culture and medical humanities at University of St. Gallen, CH), Markus Hafner (Classics at University of Zurich, CH), Reto Bühler (Friedhof Forum der Stadt Zürich, CH) and Viktoria Räuchle (Classical archaeology at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich & Collegium Helveticum)
• 7:00 p.m. – Closing remarks, followed by an apéro riche in the Rudolf Wolf Room.