For, against, together : rethinking antagonistic political emotions / edited by Lucy Osler, Thomas Szanto

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Osler, Lucy, editor.

Szanto, Thomas, editor.

Series:

Studies in emotion and social interaction. Second series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Political psychology.

Emotions--Psychological aspects.

Emotions.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2026

Summary:

"What are antagonistic political emotions, and what do they do? This book explores how such emotions unfold within and shape the political sphere. By driving and reinforcing identities, political emotions deepen divisions and empower feelings of hatred but also establish allegiance and belonging. Contributions from leading philosophers, political theorists, and social psychologists uncover the broad range of emotions animating contemporary political life and reveal how they impact political identities while also generating both solidarity and division. The chapters trace how antagonistic emotions manifest across diverse contexts, from climate activism and online extremism to electoral politics and everyday civic engagement. The cutting-edge perspectives on the emotional foundations of political life make this volume essential reading for those seeking to understand what propels political behaviour in our polarised age. Challenging traditional binaries of positive versus negative emotions, the book shows how antagonistic feelings place us simultaneously for, against, and together"-- Cambridge Core

Contents:

Rethinking affective antagonism : an introduction / Lucy Osler and Thomas Szanto

The emotionalisation of society and the politicisation of emotions / Agneta H. Fischer and Jan Willem Duyvendak

What makes an emotion political? Affective polarisation as a test case for political emotions / Berit Brogaard

Yard sign politics : spite, polarisation and self-expression / Krista K. Thomason

Ressentiment and identity / Paul Katsafanas

Collective victimhood : the shallow social bond of ressentiment / Mikko Salmela and Tereza Capelos

Do we share a moral order? The inevitability of blame and its hostile emotions / James M. Jasper

Fighting fire with fire : mobilising anger for climate justice / Laura Silva and Alexandre Gajevic Sayegh

The political significance of expressing group-based shame / Alba Montes Sánchez and Alessandro Salice

Anger and altruism, war and peace : antagonistic political emotions in human evolution / John Protevi

The fear of fear in political theory / Dan Degerman

Hostile loneliness / Sanna Karoliina Tirkkonen

Affective doubt and antagonistic politics / Tris Hedges and Lucy Osler

Treating people as mere heroes : public admiration as a moral wrong / André Grahle and Alfred Archer

Collective hubris, triumphalism and Pyrrhic victories : exploring the darker side of collective pride in political struggles and conflicts / Gavin Brent Sullivan, Jonas Valentin Rudolph and Philipp Wunderlich

Unfelt political emotions : the case of ontological terror / Gerhard Thonhauser

\#WhileWeWereGone : political antagonism, control and empowerment online / Moujan Mirdamadi and Joel Krueger

Religious freedom and meaning vertigo : a social imaginaries analysis of ‘the persecuted faithful’ in The Australian’s op-eds / Louise Richardson-Self

Affective bubbles and political emotions / Tom Roberts

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index

Online resource; title from PDF title page (Cambridge Core, viewed June 4, 2026)

Other Format:

Print version: For, against, together

ISBN:

9781009493741

1009493744

9781009493710

100949371X

OCLC:

1589181709

Publisher Number:

CIPO000374343

CIPO000381709

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license