On 22 June 2022, SHaME was honoured to host the official book launch of author, activist, survivor and academic Winnie M Li’s second novel, Complicit (Orion). Winnie was joined in conversation at Birkbeck College by Professor Joanna Bourke (Principal Investigator at SHaME) and guests Marai Larasi, Professor Liz Kelly (London Metropolitan University), Rowena Chiu, and Dr Katherine Angel (Birkbeck).

Tipped to be one of the summer’s blockbuster reads, COMPLICIT is ‘a sharp and timely look into the dark heart of Hollywood and its instances of sexual abuse’ (ELLE magazine). It may be fiction, but it is rooted in a lived experience of survivorhood and a keen understanding of workplace pressures in a male-dominated creative industry.  Written as suspense, with a mainstream audience in mind, the book nevertheless challenges readers to think: How complicit are we all in cultures of sexual harm?

This question and many others was considered by our panel who bring a wealth of expertise, drawn from research, activism, art, and lived experience. Marai Larasi has worked as a social justice advocate for over twenty-five years, focusing on ending violence against Black/ Global Majority women and girls. Professor Liz Kelly is one of the UK’s leading academics researching violence against women. Rowena Chiu has her own very personal story involving Harvey Weinstein, which featured in The New York Times investigation and the landmark book SHE SAID. Acclaimed writer Katherine Angel (TOMORROW SEX WILL BE GOOD AGAIN) is known for her insightful literary nonfiction on feminism, consent, and sexuality. And Winnie wrote COMPLICIT as the follow-up to her debut novel DARK CHAPTER, a fictional re-imagining of her real-life rape.

Historian and SHaME Principal Investigator Professor Joanna Bourke (RAPE: A HISTORY, DISGRACE: GLOBAL REFLECTIONS ON SEXUAL VIOLENCE) chaired the discussion, using the novel as a lens for exploring important issues researched at The SHaME Project: narratives of sexual assault and consent in the media; memory, psychological well-being and complicity; the ‘long tail of impact’ that misogyny has on women’s careers and lives; intersectionality and experiences of sexual violence; and the survivor’s voice in the act of writing.

This event was organised in collaboration between Clear Lines (the grassroots organisation using arts and discussion to address sexual assault and consent), with support from Orion Publishing. SHaME is funded by The Wellcome Trust.

We created a safeguarding statement for this event, which you may want to consult: https://shame.bbk.ac.uk/wp-content/up...

Find out more about The SHaME Project at https://shame.bbk.ac.uk/.