The Feminist Killjoy Handbook

"As long as feminists have existed, they have been accused of being "killjoys," "buzzkills," "party poopers," and "wet blankets." For having the audacity to insist on a more-just world, feminists are criticized for getting in the way of other people's happiness. In 'The Feminist Killjoy Handbook,' renowned feminist theorist Sara Ahmed reclaims the feminist killjoy--showing how killing joy can be a world-making, radical project. Featuring sharp analysis of literature, film, and influential feminist works, and drawing on her own experiences as a queer feminist scholar-activist of color, in 'The Feminist Killjoy Handbook' Ahmed celebrates the feminist killjoy. Ahmed illuminates how the feminist killjoy is represented in our culture and recovers a black and brown feminist killjoy lineage--from bell hooks to Claudia Rankine, from Audre Lorde to Roxane Gay. With inspiring and insightful killjoy maxims, killjoy truths, and killjoy commitments woven throughout the book, Ahmed offers readers tips on how to survive as a feminist killjoy and illuminates the invaluable lessons the figure offers. Ahmed shows how the feminist killjoy offers a model for cultural criticism, philosophy, and poetry, and, ultimately, how it presents a roadmap for breaking current oppressive social structures and replacing them with more equitable ones. If getting in the way of other people's happiness is what it takes to transform our unjust world for the better, then getting in the way is not counterproductive but absolutely necessary. While the trope of the feminist killjoy has often been used against feminists, in this book, Ahmed transforms the taunt into a call to action. Written with Ahmed's characteristic blend of playfulness and urgency, 'The Feminist Killjoy Handbook' is a love letter to feminist killjoys everywhere and an essential guide to living in, and remaking, this world"--