The introduction explains how Ahmed is thinking of feminist theory as homework, as what we are doing when we are navigating restrictions we encounter in everyday life. She suggests that we need to repose feminism as a life question. She explains how the book relates to her previous work, as well as her citation policy. She introduces sweaty concepts as a way of thinking about how theory is built from the struggle to be in a world that does not accommodate our being. She also gives a rationale for how she has selected the examples she draws upon—calling these materials “companion texts.”