Dr. Dick Zijp is Assistant Professor in Heritage of the Dutch Performing Arts at the Department of Media and Culture Studies, Utrecht University. He teaches in the Bachelor Media and Culture, the Master Contemporary Theatre, Dance and Dramaturgy and the Master Arts & Society. His research focuses on the politics and aesthetics of humour and comedy in the late 20th and early 21st century. He has published widely on Dutch cabaret, stand-up comedy, and the role of humour in the public sphere. In 2023, Zijp defended his PhD thesis on the political aesthetics of humour in postwar Dutch cabaret and stand-up comedy, which was awarded with the Christie Davies Award from the International Society for Humor Studies. As a postdoctoral fellow at KU Leuven, Zijp was involved in the UNA research project ‘Humour Scandals (Hu-Sca): A cross-national analysis of humour controversies in Europe’. 

Zijp likes to speak out beyond the university and to participate in public debate. He writes comedy reviews and essays for De Groene Amsterdammer. His reviews and op-eds have been published by NRC, Trouw, de Volkskrant and Theaterkrant.nl. Since 2023, Zijp is a member of the selection committee for the Cabaret Collectie at Nederlands Theater Festival. 

In 2024, Zijp's PhD thesis was nominated for the Boekman Dissertatieprijs. Watch the short video below (in Dutch) to learn more about his research.