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Emotions in History: A booming field. Research Centers (Berlin, Sydney, Queen Mary, … ) Book Series with Oxford University Press, Palgrave, … Conferences , Journals … to be trendy, you have to talk about feelings these days. Questions to ask:.
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Emotions in History: A booming field • Research Centers (Berlin, Sydney, Queen Mary, …) • Book Series with Oxford University Press, Palgrave, … • Conferences, Journals…tobe trendy, youhavetotalkaboutfeelingsthesedays.
Questions to ask: • Do Emotionshave a history? Isthere a historyoflove, offear, ofhatred? • How do emotionsshapehistory? Whatrole do emotionsplayforsocial, cultural, politicalhistory etc.?
Why a History of Emotions now? • Longingforhardfacts in thepost 9/11 world? • Dissatisfactionwithculturalrelativism? • Prominenceofemotions in otherfield (neurosciences; biologyoffeelings)
Theoretical Approaches • Numeroustheoreticalandconceptualarticlesandbooks. • Fewerempiricalstudies, thoughtheybegintoappear.
Feeling Rules and Emotional Norms • Peter and Carol Stearns; ArlieHochschildt • Socialandculturalexpectationsofappropriatefeelings (forboys, girls, workers, elites, etc.) • Onlysocialnorms, not therealityoffeelings
Emotives, Emotional Regimes, Emotional Liberty • William Reddy, The Navigation ofFelings • Emotives: Speech actsthatverbalizeemotionsandtherebyshapethem. • Emotional Regime: Socialandculturalnormsthatdeterminewhatcanbesaid
Emotives, Emotional Regimes, Emotional Liberty • Emotional Regimes (equaltopoliticalregimes) canbemoreorless liberal, allowingformoreorlessfeelings • A waytopoliticallyjudgesocieties: themore liberal, thebetter • Not just aboutsocialnorms, but abouthowpeoplereallyfeel
Emotional Communities & Emotional Styles • Emotional Communities (Barbara Rosenwein, Medievalists) • Not just one national emotonalregime, but a community (e.g. ofmonks) withshared emotional standards
Emotional Communities & Emotional Styles • Emotional Styles (Benno Gammerl, HistorianofHomosexualities) • Different emotional styles, depending on thesocialandspatialcontext (different emotional styles in a footballstadiumand in a lecture hall) • Importanceofspace
Emotional Practices • Monique Scheer, HistoryandTheory (2013), influentialarticle • Whatpeople do in ordertohavefeelings. • Thereareonlythepractices, not feelingsindependentofpractices
Emotional Practices • Not just aboutsocialnorms, but aboutwhatpeopledo • Directsattentionto different formsofpractices, fromspeechactstobodilypractices • Trying out Feelings
Subjetivities and Emotions • QuestionofSubjectivity: Whatistheself, andhowisithistoricallyconstituted? • Howpeopleshapethemselves–bodily, mentallyandemotionally (e.g. throughtherapies)
Fields and Applications • Historiesof a Specific Feeling (Love, Fear …) • Howhaveculturalnormsregardinglovechanged? Whereandhowcouldlovebeexpressed? Whatdidpeopletocreate (andmaintain) a sense ofintimacy?
Fields and Applications • Example: Historyof Fear in the Federal Republic (Frank Biess, German ed. 2019, English ed. 2020) • Studying (political, medical) fearsthatshapepolitics in a society
Fields and Applications • Emotionsatwork: Do feelingsatworkplay a role? Howdid (and do) companiestrytomakeemployeesfeelgoodatwork? • HistoryofEmotionsaspartof a generalsocialandpoliticalhistory
Fields and Applications • Emotionsand Politics • Howemotionsbecome an objectof (critical) politics • Example: Feelings and urban space; does a particular form ofurbanitycreatecertainfeelings?
Sources • Obvioussources: guidebooks (forteenagers, e.g.), therapeuticalliterature, ego-documents (diaries, letters, etc.) • Visual sources • Not onlyself-evident sources: courtdocuments, managementliterature, militarydocuments, …
Challenges? • Whatcanweactuallyknowaboutfeelings? • Whatcan a historyofemotionsconributeto large questions? • Is a questionofemotions a centralquestionofthepresent?