The Cultural Politics of Emotion

Content Warning: Because The Cultural Politics of Emotion is concerned with the connection between emotion and the experiences of marginalized groups, this study guide frequently refers to bigotry and violence against these groups.

The Introduction begins with a quote from a British National Front poster. The quote attempts to arouse the public’s emotions against immigrants and accuses Britain of being a “Soft Touch” country that is being taken advantage of (Location 67 of 6419). Ahmed explains that her intention in The Cultural Politics of Emotion is to interrogate how language like this is used to shape both personal and national identity. The book will closely examine examples of public language and consider how this language positions some people as subjects within a collective and others as outsiders who cause the collective to experience particular emotions. To illustrate this methodology, Ahmed performs a close reading of the quote from the National Front poster.

The poster is aimed at a specific audience—white, Aryan, British people—who are presented as a collective representing the “true” nation. This audience is encouraged to feel vulnerable to invasion by the immigrant other and to reject the “softness” that allegedly characterizes a nation open to immigration.