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Speaking Out of Place: SARA AHMED discusses The Feminist Killjoy Handbook

Sep 19, 2023

Guest

Sara Ahmed

SARA AHMED, Author of The Feminist Killjoy Handbook, discusses the impoliteness of complaining about sexism and bigotry. She challenges the notion of civility and the mandate to be 'happy' as tools for silencing grievances. Ahmed explores the concept of happiness, its potential violence, and societal expectations. She also delves into the connection between happiness and state institutions of violence, and the role of killjoying in challenging structures of state violence. Ahmed emphasizes the constructive aspects of killjoy activism in dismantling oppressive structures and the creativity generated through activism.

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Introduction

00:00 • 3min

The Concept of the Feminist Killjoy

02:50 • 9min

Questioning the Assumption of Happiness and Its Negative Aspects

12:09 • 5min

Power, Violence, and Happiness: Challenging State Institutions

17:09 • 24min

Building Through Dismantling: Exploring Killjoy Activism

41:21 • 5min

In this episode of the Speaking Out of Place podcast, Professor David Palumbo-Liu and Azeezah Kanji talk with Sara Ahmed about her new book, The Feminist Killjoy Handbook. How and why is it that complaining about sexism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of bigotry, is considered impolite? How is civility uncivil, and the mandate to be “happy” a tool for silencing grievances? Sara Ahmed tackles all those questions, and gives us strength and courage to keep on killingjoy and speaking truth.

Sara Ahmed is an independent queer feminist scholar of colour. Her work is concerned with how power is experienced and challenged in everyday life and institutional cultures. Her first trade book, The Feminist Killjoy Handbook is coming out with Seal Press next month. Previous books (all published by Duke University Press) include Complaint! (2021), What's The Use? On the Uses of Use (2019), Living a Feminist Life (2017), Willful Subjects (2014), On Being Included: Racism and Diversity in Institutional Life (2012), The Promise of Happiness (2010) and Queer Phenomenology: Objects, Orientations, Others (2006). She is currently writing A Complainer’s Handbook: A Guide to Building Less Hostile Institutions and has begun a new project on common sense. She blogs at feministkilljoy.com.

"She often said I was the daughter she didn't have. And I was the daughter she had, in fact, because I'll say that to you. And I got a lot from her. She was very much willing always to speak her mind. And I would watch her tell my father off. It would be just like, yeah, this is possible! And she was outspoken, but also very loving. She's no longer with us. I never came out to her in the sense of saying 'I am a lesbian' or whatever, but I think she kind of knew. We had conversations, and I think she would have been okay with it. And because she was just a very, very curious and creative person and an enormous influence in my life."

https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/454793/the-feminist-killjoy-handbook-by-ahmed-sara/9780241619537

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Photo credit: Sarah Franklin