In this lecture I will share some reflections on why the feminist killjoy has become a central figure in my writing, philosophy and activism. Drawing on Living a Feminist Life and The Feminist Killjoy Handbook, which have both been recently translated into Polish, I will explain why I think of killing joy as a task more than an identity. To be a killjoy at work is to work on institutions as well as at them, to be willing to complain about institutional problems even if that means becoming the problem. To be killjoys at work is also to show how institutions often resist being changed by appearing to be committed to it. I will offer some observations on the creativity and collectivity of killing joy drawing on my recently completed, A Complainer’s Handbook: A Guide To Building Less Hostile Institutions. 

https://artmuseum.pl/en/events/killjoys-at-work-lecture-by-sara-ahmed