Being Alive Means Feeling Things: Exploring Contemporary Political Emotions in the West

In recent decades, we have witnessed a profound transformation in how we understand the role of emotions in political life. The "affective turn" in philosophy beginning in the 1990s, coupled with breakthroughs in affective neuroscience, has fundamentally challenged traditional Western intellectual frameworks that separated reason from emotion. This series of lectures aims to explore the complex interplay between emotions and politics in contemporary Western societies, bringing together interdisciplinary perspectives to understand how collective feelings shape our political landscape.


We are happy to welcome lectures by the following scholars (list ist subject to change, titles of the lectures will be added later on:
11.11.2025: Dr. Francesca Brencio: Mirror of society: how social values shape mental health diagnosis (online)
25.11.2025: Thomas Stavrinos: Performing Hypermasculinity: Affective Politics in the Manosphere
02.12.2025: Prof. Dr. Andreas Ventsel: Mobilising Fear and Affect: Conspiracy Theories in Russia’s Strategic Communication
09.12.2025: Prof. Dr. Felix Heidenreich: Politische Gefühle in der Moderne – Luhmann mit Freud Thema entfernen
20.01.2026: Prof. Dr. Oliver Hidalgo: Why We Are Polarised: The Contradiction Between Reason and Emotions in Contemporary Democracies
27.01.2026: Dr. Sarah Strömel: Can You Still Trust Your Feelings? On Emotions that Promote Democracy (online)


Conceptual Framework

The Passau Lectures on Political Emotions will examine the reconceptualization of emotions in political thought through multiple lenses:
· From Reason to Affect: Studies in cognitive and affective neuroscience have eroded the boundaries between reason and emotion, proposing new interpretations that place affect at the heart of human cognition. As Lisa Feldman Barrett demonstrates, affect is fundamental to the experience of being alive, while Mark Solms equates it with the source of consciousness itself.
· Political Philosophy's Affective Turn: Contemporary political philosophers like Corine Pelluchon have proposed affect as the source of a "new Enlightenment," while Cynthia Fleury uses it to explain the dynamics of societal polarization. Martha Nussbaum's groundbreaking work on political emotions offers a framework for understanding how emotions can foster commitment to shared goals and keep divisive forces at bay.
· Beyond Liberal Individualism: While liberal political theory has traditionally privileged humans as rational actors, the communitarian turn since the 1980s has recognized emotional concerns and community needs. Key works by Michael Sandel, Benjamin Barber, and Charles Taylor have challenged liberal individualism as potentially corrosive to civic bonds.
· Affective Polarization: Current research examines how emotional attachments to political identities create divisions that transcend policy disagreements. This phenomenon, termed "affective polarization," captures the extent to which citizens feel sympathy toward partisan in-groups and antagonism toward partisan out-groups.


Why Now?

The contemporary political landscape is increasingly characterized by emotional intensity. From the rise of populist movements to culture wars and partisan animosity, politics is no longer simply about rational debate over policy but deeply entangled with collective emotions and identity. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for addressing the challenges facing Western democracies, including polarization, democratic backsliding, and crisis of meaning in public life.


Lecture Series Objectives

· To explore how emotions shape political thought, behavior, and institutions
· To examine the neurological, psychological, and social dimensions of political emotions
· To investigate how affective polarization threatens democratic discourse and social cohesion
· To consider how productive political emotions might be cultivated to strengthen democratic communities
· To develop interdisciplinary approaches that bridge neuroscience, philosophy, political theory, and cultural studies