What Is “Unfeeling”—And How Did It Become Russian State Policy? Why Is Hope Dangerous?

Hope, despair, apathy, rage… What does it take to run an independent media outlet under an authoritarian regime? What is the emotional toll of journalistic work in such a climate? And what feelings arise for readers confronted with the raw, unsettling truth? These are the questions explored by Polina Aronson, sociologist and Affective Societies’s public relations officer, in a conversation with Galina Timchenko, publisher of the leading Russian-language independent media platform Meduza…

Reflections on a visit to the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford

Earlier this year, Laibor Kalanga Moko and Maren Wirth visited the famous Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford. Founded in 1884 the institution houses collections from various parts of the world, most of which were appropriated during British colonialism. We first initiated contact with Laura van Broekhoven, the Director of the Museum, in 2021. At the … weiterlesen

Affective societies, affected scientists! 5 Questions to Bilgin Ayata, Cilja Harders, Ricarda Ameling, bahar fırat and Idil Deniz Sakar

After eight years of intensive research, the project collaboration of team C01 with their current research on “Emotion and Affect within the Context of Authoritarian Transformations” within the CRC Affective Societies ends this summer. As a small farewell, they have given us answers to our „5 Questions…“ series. 1.) Which research question affects you at … weiterlesen

The Potential of Religious Studies for Affect Theory’s „Structure-Bodies-Problem“

Affect, Politics, and Religion in Iceland Religion in politics is a contested field even without taking its affective and emotional dynamics into account. But exactly this was the aim of our workshop Affect, Politics, and Religion (held by Ricarda Ameling, Aletta Diefenbach, and Antje Kahl) that took place at the end of July 2022, for which … weiterlesen

Divisive Emotions/Uniting Emotions: Brexit, Affects, and Contemporary Fiction

‘Are you British or European?’, ‘You are paying too much for your weekly shopping’, ‘More Jobs. Lower Prices. Your family is better off with Britain in Europe’, ‘Your household could be £933 per year better off if the UK left the European Union’…—those are only some examples of the messages included on the leaflets and … weiterlesen

Affective Authoritarianisms

Authoritarian and populist leaders have been rising on a global scale for some years now. While Egypt and Turkey slid into dictatorship after considerable public mobilization and revolutionary protests in 2011 and 2013 respectively, seemingly consolidated democracies also experienced substantial political shifts. From India to Hungary, from Russia to Brazil, the number of authoritarian policies, … weiterlesen

Affective societies, affected scientists! 5 Questions to Mohammed Bamyeh

The interview series poses questions concerning the role of affects and emotions in research practice and contemporary society to researchers on short-term visit and associate members of the Collaborative Research Center “Affective Societies”. Today we introduce Mohammed Bamyeh. He is Professor of Sociology at the University of Pittsburgh (USA), and President of the Board of … weiterlesen

Experiencing Colonialism through Visiting Collections

Most of what I know about colonialism and colonial injustice in Tanzania I have learned at school. In the history classes at secondary school, we were taught about the brutal establishment and expansion of first German, later British domination which involved plundering, looting, and the killing of those who resisted colonialism. Although I had learned … weiterlesen