Joke telling, by both men and women, occupies an important place in everyday social interaction amongst kin, friends, and even strangers in the Balkans. Though there is very little written on Balkan joke telling, the joking relationship has been an important object of study in psychology (Freud 1960), anthropology (Apte 1985, Douglas 1975, Radcliffe-Brown 1952), and folklore (Davies 1982, Dundes 1983). Stock character jokes, which convey stereotypes of ethnic, religious, or gendered identity, are the most prevalent in the Balkans, especially those abou…