Politics and the Emotions The Affective Turn in Contemporary Political Studies

by Hoggett, Paul; Thompson, Simon

• ISBN13: 9781441119261
• ISBN10: 1441119264
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-03-01
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic

Summary

The assumption that human beings are rational actors is becoming quite inadequate in a world rife with crisis and uncertainty. It is more and more apparent that economic and political behavior is governed as much by powerful passions, ideas, and unstable identities as by the reasoned pursuit of individual and collective interests. Emotions such as love, fear, and despair have powerful political effects, from fostering forgiveness and hope to encouraging apathy and paranoia.

Author Biography

Simon Thompson is Reader in Political Theory at the University of the West of England, Bristol, UK. Paul Hoggett is Professor of Social Policy at the University of the West of England, Bristol, UK.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	p. vii
List of contributors	p. ix
Introduction	p. 1
Emotion, antagonism and deliberation	p. 21
Passionate participation: Emotional experiences and expressions in deliberative forums	p. 23
Deliberative rituals: Emotional energy and enthusiasm in debating landscape renewal	p. 41
Politics and fear	p. 59
The liberalism of fear and the desire for peace	p. 61
Mobilizing fear: US politics before and after 9/11	p. 79
The affective dimension of political mobilization	p. 93
Political despair	p. 95
'Building on a firm foundation of tolerance and love?' Emotional reflexivity in feminist political processes	p. 115
The politics of reparation	p. 137
The apology in politics	p. 139
Peace-building in Sierra Leone: The emotional dimension	p. 157
Politics and the triumph of the therapeutic	p. 181
The therapeutic fantasy: Self-love and quick wins	p. 183
The slippery slope and the emancipation of emotions	p. 199
Index	p. 217
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