The Feminist Killjoy Handbook

A deliberate intervention written in direct and accessible prose, building and nurturing the community it addresses…at a time when social change is urgently needed, The Feminist Killjoy Handbook provides sharp and usable tools for readers who have been made to feel isolated, insignificant and difficult. It is a generous offering from an important theorist, and highly recommended – Carol Ballantine * Irish Times *The pioneering theorist Sara Ahmed’s The Feminist Killjoy Handbook … subverts guidebooks wonderfully * New Statesman *Odd and exciting to let out a shout as one reads a book of theory, theory written for and about the ordinary outrages that demand a feminist response. This book releases a sound that emerges from the full diaphragm, a life force held in check for too long. Ahmed moves from scene to scene with clarity, rage, and joy, building through each refrain to mark the brutal violence of everyday encounters and to show us what a life-affirming response can be. Ahmed thinks in the middle of rage, never letting go of the possibility of joyful resistance, writing, turning over what she just wrote, showing how “obstinacy” is one form for the desire to survive. And yet, throughout, the humility of this brilliant feminist thinker shines through. This book is a great gift, enormously important for overcoming this vicious trans/feminist divide, showing how anti-racism and the struggle for disability rights is central to feminist and queer thinking and politics – Judith ButlerFull of memorable zingers … Ahmed has a rare power for naming what many of us know to be true: her articulation holds the power of clarity – Lucy McKeon * Vanity Fair *In this fervent manifesto, Ahmed brings impressive clarity to a field of study often opaque in the hands of others. Admirers of Maggie Nelson’s The Argonauts should take note * Publishers Weekly *Combines her signature humor—bitingly funny, in this case—with accessible language and theoretical discourse, making this title as appropriate for university courses as it is for self-identified “feminist killjoys,” people who point out sexist comments or don’t laugh at offensive jokes… This book arms readers with a sense of vital energy, often lost due to burnout, compassion fatigue, and microaggressions. Audiences curious about navigating the intersection between feminism and daily life, intellectualism, poetry, and activism will love this title – Emily Bowles * Library Journal *Feminist and social activists are certain to find the book encouraging. A good reminder that the work of activists is often challenging yet important * Kirkus *A celebration … Ahmed, one of the world’s leading feminist and queer theorists, is both clever and generous, and has a talent for bringing her readers with her, without ever dumbing down or sugar-coating her politics, love of theory, or lived experience as a queer woman of colour … Ahmed addresses the challenges of the present and her ongoing project of platforming and protecting the feminist killjoy remains vital and refreshing – Zora Simic * Inside Story *Reading Sara Ahmed’s The Feminist Killjoy Handbook comes as a great relief … With astonishingly clear and economical prose, she examines the ways in which self-doubt and isolation – but also solidarity – can come from being part of a network of feminist “killjoys” … luminous … to be a feminist killjoy is [to take] language by the hand to join a joyful and lucid struggle against injustice – Judith Butler * Nation *Sara Ahmed’s Feminist Killjoy Handbook is not only a dazzling analysis of the workings of sexism, but a balm for the soul. Ahmed’s insight that being a feminist is being a killjoy is as consoling as it is revelatory. It makes sense of the bad atmosphere, the uncomfortable feelings that swirl around feminism; it gives you ballast in the storm. Read it. Give it to everyone. It will teach you how to survive and how to transform the world – Hannah Dawson

Sara Ahmed is an independent feminist scholar who works at the intersection of feminist, queer and race studies. Her research is concerned with how bodies and worlds take shape; and how power is secured and challenged in everyday life as well as institutional cultures. She has published eleven books including The Feminist Killjoy Handbook.

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