In this Olio we'll gather in Neuehouse's beautiful screening room and ask ourselves what lessons we can learn from the slayer as we navigate modern patriarchy and capitalism.

What Would Buffy Do? Radical Feminism and the Slayer

Jamie Warren at Neuehouse Madison Sq.

Mon, Feb 25 at 7:30 p.m.   |   90 minutes

From the moment she was called upon to become the Slayer, and thus shoulder the weight of saving the world (Again!) Buffy the Vampire Slayer wrestled with understanding not only her place in the world as a superhero, but also finding her place as young woman tasked with such a role. Should her power be rooted in something different than our traditional masculine notions of strength? Or is power simply power—void of gender and value? In this Olio, we will examine Joss Whedon’s creation, Buffy, and analyze the significance of the slayer’s struggle to fight evil while remaining “just a girl.”


Through discussion and the viewing of a few clips, we will look critically at the show’s overarching narrative, asking ourselves: Was Buffy truly a feminist icon? If so, what kind of feminist? Radical? Liberal? Marxist? What does it mean that she alone held power that others had no access to? That she used violence to solve problems? That in the eye of the struggle, she often found herself alone, having more in common with the evil she was fighting than with the good she was trying to protect. Why, for example, was she so hot for vampires? We will discuss and debate whether, in the end, Buffy reconciled these dilemmas as she saved the world (Again!). Finally, we will ask ourselves what lessons we can learn from the slayer as we navigate modern patriarchy and capitalism.

Teacher: Jamie Warren

Jamie Warren has a Ph.D. in American History from Indiana University, and she is an Assistant Professor at BMCC-CUNY where she teaches American history, the history of women and gender, and women’s studies. Her research focuses on slavery in antebellum South with a particular focus on death, the body, and the philosophy of history.

Venue: Neuehouse Madison Sq.
Add to Calendar Feb. 25, 20197:30 p.m. Feb. 25, 2019 America/New_York Think Olio | What Would Buffy Do? Radical Feminism and the Slayer In this Olio we'll gather in Neuehouse's beautiful screening room and ask ourselves what lessons we can learn from the slayer as we navigate modern patriarchy and capitalism. None

What is Think Olio?

Think Olio is here to put the liberation back into the liberal arts.

Classically, the liberal arts, were the education considered essential for a free person to take an active part in civic life. To counter a humanities that has been institutionalized and dehumanized we infuse critical thinking, openness, playfulness, and compassion into our learning experience.

Read more about our mission, our story, and how we are doing this.

Scenius Membership

If Friday night lectures, museum field trips, and living room salons sound like your kind of thing, then you've found your people. We can't wait to welcome you to the Think Olio Scenius. More info

Stay in Touch

Instagram Mailing List Contact

Olio: A miscellaneous collection of art and literature.