Structural analysis of Persian jokes

This survey is an application of “Theory of Manesh”, in which its potential as a creditable and useful theoretical approach towards cultural studies is evaluated. This theory is a way to analyze the dynamics of cultural elements, by expanding the methodology of Complex Systems Theory. In this research more than 800 Persian jokes which were popular in Tehran during the years 1996-2001 were archived, categorized and their content and structure analyzed. The tripartite structure of a cultural element (Manesh) as is predicted in Theory of Manesh have been discriminated as semantic corpus (story + punchline), order (laughing) and anchor (decreasing social stress).