300209 Anthropology, Violence, Emotions (S) (SoSe 2015)

In earlier literature on violence, the dominant approach was to start either with a definition or to invest efforts in the categorization (like structural, political, physical etc.) of the phenomenon. Recently however, both approaches have been criticized by a growing body of publications pointing to the fact that previous approaches have run the risk of obscuring exactly what they are actually trying to find out. Moreover, these critiques emphasize that violence not only defies fixed definitions, but that different forms of violent acts produce manifold forms of experiences on individual as well as on social level. These experiences of violence are not episodic, or cannot be seen as ruptures of the everyday, but instead more often than not they are routinized and hence embedded in the day-to-day/everyday life of people. To capture the distinct perceptions and temporalities of violence on an intersubjective level, more and more scholars pay particular attention to emotions, a practice leading to striking empirical findings. Thus not just sentiments commonly believed to be linked to violence appear (fear, anxiety, sorrow, grief etc.), but also an array of contrasting feelings usually associated with positive states of being like joy, playfulness, or humor. The careful investigation of emotions prompts us to see the various forms of violence and the manifold ways affected people experience it. This directs us not just to the reconceptualization of violence but to the reformulation of established understandings of subjectivity as well as agency. In its first part, the seminar’s aim will be therefore to look into recent theories of violence, emotions, subjectivity and embodiment. Its second section will be dedicated to the exploration of concrete empirical examples in different contexts around the world. In the third part, we will focus on concepts of agency and resistance and additionally address the following specific set of questions: What is the link between agency and emotions in the context of ongoing violence? Are negative emotions as agentive as their positive counterpart? What does the quest or imperative of being happy and optimistic designate in our contemporary society?