Affect and Emotion: A New Social Science Understanding

In recent years there has been a surge of interest in affect and emotion. Scholars want to discover how people are moved, and understand embodied social action, feelings and passions. How do social formations ′grab′ people? How do roller coasters of contempt, patriotism, hate and euphoria power public life? This book systematically reviews research on affect and emotion in neuroscience, social psychology, sociology, and political science. It develops a critique of the ′turn to affect′ and argues for an approach based on affective practice. It provides new analyses to explain how affect travels, settles, circulates and coalesces.