Complaint!

by Sara Ahmed

Overview

In Complaint! Sara Ahmed examines what we can learn about power from those who complain about abuses of power. Drawing on oral and written testimonies from academics and students who have made complaints about harassment, bullying, and unequal working conditions at universities, Ahmed explores the gap between what is supposed to happen when complaints are made and what actually happens. To make complaints within institutions is to learn how they work and for whom they work: complaint as feminist pedagogy. Ahmed explores how complaints are made behind closed doors and how doors are often closed on those who complain. To open these doors—to get complaints through, keep them going, or keep them alive—Ahmed emphasizes, requires forming new kinds of collectives. This book offers a systematic analysis of the methods used to stop complaints and a powerful and poetic meditation on what complaints can be used to do. Following a long lineage of Black feminist and feminist of color critiques of the university, Ahmed delivers a timely consideration of how institutional change becomes possible and why it is necessary.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781478017714
Publisher:	Duke University Press
Publication date:	09/28/2021
Pages:	376
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Sara Ahmed is an independent scholar and author of What's the Use?, Living a Feminist Life, and other books also published by Duke UniversityPress.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments  xi
Introduction: Hearing Complaint  1
Part I. Institutional Mechanics  27
1. Mind the Gap! Policies, Procedures, and Other Nonperformatives  29
2. On Being Stopped  69
Part II. The Immanence of Complaint  101
3. In the Thick of It  103
4. Occupied  137
Part III. If These Doors Could Talk?  175
5. Behind Closed Doors: Complaints and Institutional Violence  179
6. Holding the Door: Power, Promotion, Progression  220
Part IV. Conclusions  257
7. Collective Conclusions by Leila Whitley, Tiffany Page, and Alice Corble, with Heidi Hasbrouck, Chryssa Sdrolia and others  261
8. Complaint Collectives  274
Notes  311
References 343
Index  353

Editorial Reviews

"Sara Ahmed’s Complaint! is an antidote to apathy. . . . The potent reminder that Ahmed offers is that we are not the ones with the problem, that a number of voices raised up in complaint can help identify that the problem lies elsewhere."
 

Sydney Review of Books - Eda Gunaydin

"Ahmed brings great authority and gravity to Complaint!, from her own experiences (she resigned from an institution after they mishandled a series of complaints), her engagement with a “complaint collective” in the UK, and her decades-long scholarship in feminist, queer, and race studies. Black feminism and women of color feminism anchor the book. The author does not flinch at the difficult intersections where one underrepresented or traditionally marginalized group seems at odds with another; instead, she examines the effects of complaint in each area of these intersections, retaining her sharp focus on an analysis of power dynamics."

Public Books - Ellen Mayock

"It’s feminism that isn’t out to win friends but should certainly influence people. It’s angry because anger is required. And it’s collective and inclusive. . . . ever quick to pick up on ironies and contradictions, she nails it time after time. 'Making a complaint is often necessary because of a crisis or trauma,' she writes, but 'the complaint often becomes part of the crisis or trauma.' Such phrases characterise Ahmed’s Möbius band idiolect; they hit home because of the writer’s extraordinary skill."

Times Higher Education - Emma Rees

"Ahmed illuminates how institutions like the university are designed for precisely the people who can and continue to flourish while miming theoretical righteousness and perpetuating violent norms."

Anna Nguyen

"This book is inspiring and a source of solidarity. It provides encouragement to protest and fight for change. And whilst no doubt a difficult read for university leaders, they should read it to help them reflect on what is happening in their institutions and learn how they can truly implement those policies and practice to bring about fair and just equality of opportunity."

British Journal of Sociology of Education - Gill Crozier

"An absolutely brilliant endeavor. . . . The real nuance and sophistication of this book, written with such emotional and intellectual insight, the means by which Ahmed identifies strategies of institutional power in relation to power in relation to harassment and abuse is revelatory, thorny, painful, and very, very necessary."

Getting Lit with Linda - Linda M. Morra

"In her powerful new book . . . Sara Ahmed builds on a series of oral and written testimonies from students and employees who have complained to higher education universities about harassment and inequality. Here, she asks readers to think about some inescapable questions: What happens when complaints are pushed under the rug? How is complaint radical feminism? And, how can we learn about power from those who choose to fight against the powerful?"

Indy Week - Rebecca Schneid

"Inspired by the students she worked with, Ahmed’s new book examines the act—indeed, the feminist pedagogy—of complaining within an organization. With the help of testimonials from individuals who filed complaints of harassment, bullying, and abuse at Goldsmiths and other universities, Ahmed explores the cracks within these formal systems and illustrates the painful processes that survivors experience too often."

Bitch - Yvette Dionne and Rosa Cartagena

"[Ahmed] presents a strong argument that power in higher education tends to protect itself, that diversity initiatives are often nothing more than window dressing, and that those who file complaints about a hostile work environment often face accusations of disloyalty or troublemaking. . . . Most of the charges here are broad and general, but anyone who has worked in higher education will recognize much of what Ahmed brings to light. Sharp criticism of an overlooked systemic problem in higher education."

Kirkus Reviews

Sara Ahmed always has her finger on the pulse of the times as she assists us to explore the deeper meanings and philosophical nuances of quotidian concepts and practices. Beautifully written and thoroughly engaging, Complaint! is precisely the text we need at this moment as we seek to understand and transform the institutional structures promoting racism and heteropatriarchy.

Angela Y. Davis

In her latest contribution to our knowledge, Sara Ahmed gifts us with a book about the phenomenology of complaint and the layered, entangled complexity of how power works institutionally. She foregrounds that to complain is to transgress. To transgress is to become a site of negation. To negate is to trigger an institution into protecting the status quo through risk-adverse processes that are experienced as violent and exhaustive. Ahmed’s intellectually expansive book achieves two things: it exposes the meaning, experiences, and perceptions of complaint and provides testimony to the courage of those who complain, who fight, who believe justice should not just appear to be done; it must be done.

Talkin’ Up to the White Woman: Indigenous Women and Feminism - Aileen Moreton-Robinson

"This is another insightful book in Ahmed’s well-regarded series of considerations of what acting as a feminist in non-feminist institutions means. . . . Highly recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty; professionals."

Choice

"This is audacious but persuasive critique, which accrues its power by stealth. Complaint! is dense with insight, but admirably lucid."

Australian Book Review - Zora Simic

Sara Ahmed’s Complaint! functions as a compelling testimony, delving into the intricate dynamics of how patriarchal abuses of power contribute to institutional change.

Cultural Studies - Mattie Hamilton

Complaint! offers catharsis, collectivity, and care. It is an archive of complaint, it is a radical call to action, and it is a feminist record. It is also beautifully written, deeply painful, and absolutely necessary at this very moment.

Gender, Place & Culture - Catherine Oliver

"This book is inspiring and a source of solidarity. It provides encouragement to protest and fight for change. And whilst no doubt a difficult read for university leaders, they should read it to help them reflect on what is happening in their institutions and learn how they can truly implement those policies and practice to bring about fair and just equality of opportunity."--Gill Crozier "British Journal of Sociology of Education" (5/25/2023 12:00:00 AM)

"Complaint! offers catharsis, collectivity, and care. It is an archive of complaint, it is a radical call to action, and it is a feminist record. It is also beautifully written, deeply painful, and absolutely necessary at this very moment."--Catherine Oliver "Gender, Place & Culture" (11/24/2022 12:00:00 AM)

"Ahmed illuminates how institutions like the university are designed for precisely the people who can and continue to flourish while miming theoretical righteousness and perpetuating violent norms."--Anna Nguyen "LSE Review of Books" (5/26/2022 12:00:00 AM)

"This is another insightful book in Ahmed's well-regarded series of considerations of what acting as a feminist in non-feminist institutions means. . . . Highly recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty; professionals."-- "Choice" (5/1/2022 12:00:00 AM)

"Ahmed brings great authority and gravity to Complaint!, from her own experiences (she resigned from an institution after they mishandled a series of complaints), her engagement with a "complaint collective" in the UK, and her decades-long scholarship in feminist, queer, and race studies. Black feminism and women of color feminism anchor the book. The author does not flinch at the difficult intersections where one underrepresented or traditionally marginalized group seems at odds with another; instead, she examines the effects of complaint in each area of these intersections, retaining her sharp focus on an analysis of power dynamics."--Ellen Mayock "Public Books" (3/3/2022 12:00:00 AM)

"It's feminism that isn't out to win friends but should certainly influence people. It's angry because anger is required. And it's collective and inclusive. . . . ever quick to pick up on ironies and contradictions, she nails it time after time. 'Making a complaint is often necessary because of a crisis or trauma, ' she writes, but 'the complaint often becomes part of the crisis or trauma.' Such phrases characterise Ahmed's Möbius band idiolect; they hit home because of the writer's extraordinary skill."--Emma Rees "Times Higher Education" (12/2/2021 12:00:00 AM)

"Sara Ahmed's Complaint! is an antidote to apathy. . . . The potent reminder that Ahmed offers is that we are not the ones with the problem, that a number of voices raised up in complaint can help identify that the problem lies elsewhere."
--Eda Gunaydin "Sydney Review of Books" (9/27/2021 12:00:00 AM)

"An absolutely brilliant endeavor. . . . The real nuance and sophistication of this book, written with such emotional and intellectual insight, the means by which Ahmed identifies strategies of institutional power in relation to power in relation to harassment and abuse is revelatory, thorny, painful, and very, very necessary."--Linda M. Morra "Getting Lit with Linda" (9/7/2021 12:00:00 AM)

"Inspired by the students she worked with, Ahmed's new book examines the act--indeed, the feminist pedagogy--of complaining within an organization. With the help of testimonials from individuals who filed complaints of harassment, bullying, and abuse at Goldsmiths and other universities, Ahmed explores the cracks within these formal systems and illustrates the painful processes that survivors experience too often."--Yvette Dionne and Rosa Cartagena "Bitch" (9/1/2021 12:00:00 AM)

"This is audacious but persuasive critique, which accrues its power by stealth. Complaint! is dense with insight, but admirably lucid."--Zora Simic "Australian Book Review" (9/1/2021 12:00:00 AM)

"In her latest contribution to our knowledge, Sara Ahmed gifts us with a book about the phenomenology of complaint and the layered, entangled complexity of how power works institutionally. She foregrounds that to complain is to transgress. To transgress is to become a site of negation. To negate is to trigger an institution into protecting the status quo through risk-adverse processes that are experienced as violent and exhaustive. Ahmed's intellectually expansive book achieves two things: it exposes the meaning, experiences, and perceptions of complaint and provides testimony to the courage of those who complain, who fight, who believe justice should not just appear to be done; it must be done."--Aileen Moreton-Robinson, author of "Talkin' Up to the White Woman: Indigenous Women and Feminism"

"Sara Ahmed always has her finger on the pulse of the times as she assists us to explore the deeper meanings and philosophical nuances of quotidian concepts and practices. Beautifully written and thoroughly engaging, Complaint! is precisely the text we need at this moment as we seek to understand and transform the institutional structures promoting racism and heteropatriarchy."--Angela Y. Davis

"[Ahmed] presents a strong argument that power in higher education tends to protect itself, that diversity initiatives are often nothing more than window dressing, and that those who file complaints about a hostile work environment often face accusations of disloyalty or troublemaking. . . . Most of the charges here are broad and general, but anyone who has worked in higher education will recognize much of what Ahmed brings to light. Sharp criticism of an overlooked systemic problem in higher education."-- "Kirkus Reviews" (6/25/2021 12:00:00 AM)

"In her powerful new book . . . Sara Ahmed builds on a series of oral and written testimonies from students and employees who have complained to higher education universities about harassment and inequality. Here, she asks readers to think about some inescapable questions: What happens when complaints are pushed under the rug? How is complaint radical feminism? And, how can we learn about power from those who choose to fight against the powerful?"--Rebecca Schneid "Indy Week" (6/9/2021 12:00:00 AM)

From the Publisher

2021-06-25
A scholarly critique of the difficulties encountered by those who file formal complaints in the world of higher education.

In an era of Black Lives Matter, MeToo, and a host of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, you might think that there would be more transparency in dealing with charges of discrimination and harassment, particularly at the university level. Not so, writes Ahmed, an independent feminist scholar who left her post at a British university over its treatment of sexual harassment. “To be heard as complaining is not to be heard,” she writes. “To hear someone as complaining is an effective way of dismissing someone. You do not have to listen to the content of what she is saying if she is just complaining or always complaining.” The author, who has gained notoriety in academic circles for Living a Feminist Life (2017) and other books, presents a strong argument that power in higher education tends to protect itself, that diversity initiatives are often nothing more than window dressing, and that those who file complaints about a hostile work environment often face accusations of disloyalty or troublemaking. Charges of racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination, Ahmed argues, are similar from institution to institution and ubiquitous because the conditions that spark them don’t change. Those who wish to file formal complaints often find it difficult to navigate the complex procedures, only to find their paperwork buried in some cabinet or their cases adjudicated behind closed doors. Those who go public, meanwhile, face withdrawal of funding, lack of institutional support, and being passed over for promotion. In most cases, the bureaucrats who run universities are more concerned with protecting the institution than with correcting transgressions. Most of the charges here are broad and general, but anyone who has worked in higher education will recognize much of what Ahmed brings to light.

Sharp criticism of an overlooked systemic problem in higher education.

Kirkus Reviews