We are proud to announce two books, featuring fully revised and updated contributions from more than 100 contributors to the Dangerous Women Project.
The Art of Being Dangerous: Exploring Women and Danger through Creative Expression (Leuven University Press, 2021) edited by Jo Shaw and Ben Fletcher-Watson
The Art of Being Dangerous offers many different images of women, some humorous, some challenging, some well-known, some forgotten, but all unique. In a dazzling variety of creative forms, artists and writers of diverse identities explore what it means to be a dangerous woman.
With almost 100 evocative images, this collection showcases an array of contemporary art that highlights the staggering breadth of talent among today’s female artists. It offers an unparalleled gallery of feminist creativity, ranging from emerging visual artists from the UK to multi-award-winning writers and translators from the Global South.
Contributors: Margie Orford, Meredith Bergmann, K.E. Carver, Sasha de Buyl-Pisco, Mary Paulson-Ellis, Melissa Álvaro Mutolo, Kerri Turner, Heshani Sothiraj Eddleston, Joanie Conwell, Dilys Rose, Alison Jones, Sim Bajwa, Hilaire, Tara Pixley, Leonie Mhari, Kate Feld, Millie Earle-Wright, Helen Boden, Elif Sezen, Rebecca Vedavathy, Irene Hossack, SE Craythorne, Roisin Kelly, Nkateko Masinga, Elaine Gallagher, Ildiko Nova, Rachel Roberts, susan c. dessel, Savanna Scott Leslie, Heather Pearson, Eva Moreda Rodriguez, Tanya Krzywinska, Siris Gallinat, Clare Archibald, Maya Mackrandilal, Zuhal Feraidon, Anna Brazier, Shirley Day, Treasa Nealon, Satdeep Grewal, Lucy Walters, Priyanthini Guns, Kate Schneider, Alana Tyson, Jayde Kirchert, Boris Eldagsen, Brenda Rosete, Victoria Duckett, Patricia Allmer, JL Williams, Carly Brown, Sotiria Grek, Sepideh Jodeyri, Brooke Bolander, Maria Stoian, Maria Fusco, Claire Askew and Marianne Boruch.
Listen to an episode of the New Books Network podcast about the creation of the book, featuring an interview with editor Ben Fletcher-Watson.
The book is available to order in the UK from Amazon now.
US readers can order direct from Cornell University Press or from Amazon.
EU/international readers can order from Leuven University Press.
Dangerous Women: fifty reflections on women, power and identity (Unbound, 2022) edited by Jo Shaw, Ben Fletcher-Watson and Abrisham Ahmadzadeh
‘The most dangerous woman in Britain’ – the Sun
‘Meet the most dangerous wee woman in the world’ – Daily Mail
We may laugh at the media’s label for women such as Shami Chakrabarti or Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, but behind it lie serious questions about the dynamics, conflicts and power relations with which women live today. The idea that women are dangerous individually or collectively permeates many historical periods, cultures and areas of contemporary life.
But what does it mean for a woman to be dangerous? Who, or what, does she present a danger to? Who gets to say she’s dangerous? Why do they want to say it? Does she consider herself dangerous? Is feminism dangerous? And what do the answers to those questions tell us about societies past and present? About our social and political structures, about our everyday lives, our attitudes and our very identities? Dangerous Women gives fifty wide-ranging perspectives on these questions.
If you lack female idols, this book is for you. If you want to challenge the narrative that a powerful woman is a threat, this inclusive and diverse book is for you. Dangerous Women is for anyone and everyone who questions how to be dangerous, and indeed what that means.
“The wide-ranging selections—which touch on ambivalence about maternity, the legacy of South African pop star Brenda Fassie, and the difficulty of getting a divorce in India—are rich with history and testify to the numerous ways women across the globe are challenging patriarchy. Invigorating and incisive, these provide food for thought.” – Publishers Weekly
Contributors include Nicola Sturgeon MSP, broadcaster and journalist Bidisha, playwright Jo Clifford, prize-winning novelist Irenosen Okojie, acclaimed journalist Jean Rafferty, essayist and writer Laura Elizabeth Woollett, novelist and architect Yewande Omotoso, poet and performer Rachel McCrum, prize-winning novelist and poet Claire Askew, celebrated author Nada Awar Jarrar, critic and publisher Laura E. Waddell, BBC comedy writer Jasmine Tonie, writer and editor Annee Lawrence, award-winning poet and translator A.C. Clarke, poet, writer and presenter Mab Jones and feminist historian Chiara Bonfiglioli.
Dangerous Women: fifty reflections on women, power and identity was released in the UK on 3 March 2022. Find out more here.
The book was released in the USA and Canada on 7 March 2023. You can order it from your local bookstore or online at:
These books are drawn from contributions by people who identify as women and their allies to the Dangerous Women Project, which ran from International Women’s Day 2016 to International Women’s Day 2017.