Political emotions: approaches and potentials of an emerging field

Abstract

The article proposes the study of emotions as an additional tool for understanding contemporary politics In the 20th century. It engages with existing literature on these issues, revisits "classical" concepts in the historical study of emotions, and draws upon our research experience. The first section briefly explores the "emotional turn" and its subtle impact on political history studies. We argue that this historiographical marginality is rooted in the enduring paradigm of rationality in the public sphere, which has permeated studies of parties, actors, and institutions, as well as in the still potent tendency to strip Western politics, associated with the liberal and republican tradition, of its own passions. In the second section, we propose several methodological approaches to address the complex emotional dynamics in mass politics and society. We contend that the topics outlined in the first section, which could be explored to deepen our understanding of politics, can be approached in a pluralistic manner. Rather than adhering to a single conceptual and epistemological path, we advocate for converging and sometimes tension-filled approaches to address these complex and dynamic relationships.