Culture through the lens of emotions

Coordination

Delphine Chedaleux and Kevin Diter

Presentation

This issue is informed by the observation that, while emotions are at the heart of people’s lives and at the centre of most of their cultural activities, little research in France has focused on the multiple and reciprocal links between cultural practices or works, and emotions. Despite the ‘emotional turn’ of the social sciences, little has been said about the role of joy, laughter and anger in the construction of cultural likes and dislikes; nor, conversely, about the ways in which cultural activities and works participate in the shaping of emotional repertoires and the acquisition of norms and rules pertaining to feelings.

The articles in this issue aim to shed light on these grey areas of sociology (of culture and emotions). Drawing on a variety of objects and fields – such as crush, K-pop, activist books and documentaries, and museum mediation devices –, the authors show not only that media, digital and cultural material play on emotions and have a central role in socialization with regard to emotions, but also that the nature and intensity of the emotions felt when listening to, reading or viewing a work contribute, in turn, to shaping individuals’ cultural preferences and inclinations.

Editorial Board

Director: Patrice FLICHY [patrice.flichy@u-pem.fr]

Editorial secretary: Aurélie BUR [aurelie.bur@enpc.fr]

Editorial committee: Valérie BEAUDOUIN, Jean-Samuel BEUSCART, Dominique CARDON, Fabienne GREFFET, Christian LICOPPE, Inna LYUBAREVA, Alexandre MATHIEU-FRITZ, Sylvie OCTOBRE, Sylvain PARASIE, Dominique PASQUIER, Franck REBILLARD, Olivier VOIROL

Cover copyright: © Pop art young sexy woman with red hearts in her hands with kiss on background. Holiday party invitation vector poster. Vector illustration in retro comic style, par Molgaart Stock.Adobe.com