Governing by emotions in financial education

Abstract

In line with previous research, we consider financial education to be a form of governmentality in the age of financialization. Applying sociological theory of emotions, we investigate the role emotion play in the attempt to govern citizens in Swedish financial education. The material consists of interviews with organizers of the Swedish Like Your Personal Finance educational network and observations of one of its courses, Secure Your Financial Future. Analyzing how citizens are taught financial literacy, we highlight key emotions and feeling rules that promote the financial rationality permeating financial education. The results show that the course establishes a narrative of the world economic situation that responsibilizes citizens for their own financial security and welfare, employing feeling rules about: boredom, fear/anxiety, trust/distrust, and fun, which constitute the financially rational subject.