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A review by phoenixs
Notes from a Feminist Killjoy: Essays on Everyday Life by Erin Wunker
4.0
This is from 2016, so I forgive the use of “differently abled” instead of disabled. Language and its effects get unpacked and re-evaluated over time and I assume the public education system is more to blame in this regard. I grew up in a system that taught about “differently abled” people as well, often without the proper consultation of the disabled community most likely.
Outside of that, this is essential reading for killjoy feminists who want a detailed snapshot of what feminism was grappling with specifically in 2016. The moment feels captured with nuance and the shortcomings of what white, cisgendered, and heterosexual women are acknowledged. This is a great example of how as critical thinkers we need to look at every moment in a political movements history with a measured lens.
There’s been a lot of (necessary) discussion of the failures of feminism in the 2010s, but there was still parts of the movement that were moving in the right direction. For instance, I found I was taken aback by how aware Wunker was of TERFs and their dumbass rhetoric. And I was pleasantly surprised that Wunker didn’t just constantly quote Atwood at me (a huge pet peeve of mine with writers in CanLit), but Morrison and Angelou as well (amongst other BIPOC individuals).
Anyway all the above is to say, this book is worth your time. Especially if you want to get a specifically Canadian perspective of killjoy feminism.
Outside of that, this is essential reading for killjoy feminists who want a detailed snapshot of what feminism was grappling with specifically in 2016. The moment feels captured with nuance and the shortcomings of what white, cisgendered, and heterosexual women are acknowledged. This is a great example of how as critical thinkers we need to look at every moment in a political movements history with a measured lens.
There’s been a lot of (necessary) discussion of the failures of feminism in the 2010s, but there was still parts of the movement that were moving in the right direction. For instance, I found I was taken aback by how aware Wunker was of TERFs and their dumbass rhetoric. And I was pleasantly surprised that Wunker didn’t just constantly quote Atwood at me (a huge pet peeve of mine with writers in CanLit), but Morrison and Angelou as well (amongst other BIPOC individuals).
Anyway all the above is to say, this book is worth your time. Especially if you want to get a specifically Canadian perspective of killjoy feminism.