11 Affect Theory

Abstract

This review examines material published in the field of affect theory in 2017. The chapter begins with Ruth Leys's The Ascent of Affect, which serves as a useful point of critical reflection for other works published this year. Leys notes that current affect theory takes for granted that affective states are always pre-cognitive and that they play a significant role in shaping belief and motivating action. The apparent consensus is in part due to the continuing influence of Brian Massumi, in particular his Autonomy of Affect, on the field. However, as Leys argues, it is also due to a lack of reflection on scientific studies of affect and how to resolve the significant theoretical issues relating to the nature of affect and emotion. With a shift away from psychology and neuroscience in understanding affect, a key development in affect theory can be seen in the focus on action and politics, by a number of works such as Politics of Anxiety, Spaces of Feeling, and Politics and Affect that explore the way in which affect should be understood interpersonally as well as a source for inciting action and political change. The chapter is structured under the following headings: 1. Introduction; 2. Space and Time; 3. Morality and Judgement; 4. Power and Powerlessness; 5. Reflections.