Presentation
Over the last decade, the Research Network Affects, Feelings and Emotions has been a central hub for research at the intersection of affect theory, gender, and diversity studies.
Debates about emotions, emotional labour, and gendered competencies in love, romance and intimacy have been central to gender studies since its inception. Since the beginning of the 21st century, these debates have been developed in the English-speaking world within the framework of affect studies. On the one hand, this field of research ties in with academic traditions in feminist theory; on the other hand, new perspectives are finding their way into the academic debate.
The research network aims to bring together existing and prospective research by scholars from various disciplines in Switzerland and beyond (e.g., Anthropology, Art Science, Film Studies, Gender Studies, Geography, Literature Studies, Legal Science, Sociology).
The field of interest is both theoretically and methodologically widespread, and an interdisciplinary exchange among the network members is fostered and encouraged. The research network also supports early-career researchers engaging with affects and emotions.
The field of interest covers the following research areas, although new foci are also welcome:
- Politics of affects: borders and permeabilities
- Representation and immediacy of affect
- Gender, emotions and narration: narrated worlds of emotions
- Negotiating affect in the performing and visual arts
- History of emotions
- Affect studies and postcolonial/decolonial theory
- Affective morals and moral affect
- Emotional labour in neoliberalism
- Affective economies
- Hegemonic emotional regimes and emotions in gendered modes of existence
- Affective theoretical approaches and psychoanalysis
- Affect in the neurosciences
- Emotional psychology
- Sexuality and affect
- Affect studies and theories of intersubjectivity
- Affect studies and queer temporality
- Affective research methodologies
- Research on specific emotions/feelings i.e. joy, fear, shame
Events
The Research Network Affects, Feelings and Emotions organises an annual a one-day workshop. The aim of the workshop is:
- Strengthening the interdisciplinary exchange among scholars with an interest in affect theory.
- Sharing insight into current research findings of humanities and social sciences scholars who see affects, feelings, and/or emotions as crucial for analysing current social and societal processes.
- Giving feedback on research-in-progress and gaining new insights on methodological and epistemological questions.
In addition, specific collaborations take place, for example the joint panel submission to the conferences of the Swiss Association of Gender Studies.
Contact
Joining the research network is possible at any time.
Isabelle Albisser
Publikationen
This anthology offers an introduction to the field of Affect Studies that are intensively discussed in the Anglophone world. Following the feminist, queer and anti-racist tradition of Affect Studies, this volume reformulates the relationship between private experience and social power relations by thinking of affects as intertwined with social and political dimensions in their personal and individual character. The anthology presents paradigmatic fields of research in Affect Studies in their translation and reformulation in the German-speaking world, focusing on overlaps between Affect Studies and feminist, queer and post/colonial theorizing. It thus offers an introduction and insight into interdisciplinary theory formation and research in Affect Studies and at the same time presents its processing, continuation and reworking in the German-speaking research area.