New Books Network Amber Day, "Caught in the Crosshairs: Feminist Comedians and the Culture Wars" (Indiana UP, 2025)
Dec 16, 2025
Amber Day, a Professor of media and performance studies at Bryant University, explores the evolution of feminist comedy in her new book, detailing how women comedians like Samantha Bee and Amy Schumer navigate cultural wars. She discusses the complex backlash female comedians face and the emotional responses their work provokes. Day highlights key events, such as the Ghostbusters fallout and Hannah Gadsby’s Nanette, while examining how these comedians challenge societal norms and expectations. She also predicts future trends in feminist comedy, emphasizing its role in public discourse.
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Comedy As Political Discourse
- Amber Day argues comedy became an accepted form of political discourse rather than mere entertainment.
- Satire and irony now function as ways to enter and shape political conversation in popular culture.
Defined By Public Positioning
- Day defines 'feminist comedian' by how performers are positioned in public discourse rather than self-labels.
- She focuses on female-identified comedians who elicit debates about gender, race, and public space.
Discourse Over Textual Focus
- Day uses discourse analysis to trace controversies around feminist comedians across media and social platforms.
- She combines textual readings with Twitter and comment analysis to map how debates form.
