Lecture and event series at AUC
3 March 2021
Since October 2019 and throughout 2020-2021, Amsterdam University College serves as a venue for a series of academic and public events focused on an amazing and highly sensitive dimension of human existence: the realm of emotions, affects and feelings. After a brief pause due to coronavirus measures, the lecture series has been resumed in Autumn 2020 online.
The choice for the topic of this series is far from random. A ‘turn to emotions’ and a related ‘affective turn’ in human sciences have been hailed by many academics as a sign of the profound reshaping of a broad range of academic disciplines, from evolutionary biology and neuroscience to sociology and political science to cultural history and critical theory.
Beyond the university walls, the political and private lives of individuals seem to be increasingly overwhelmed with references to the affective, the visceral and the emotionally-charged. In the 21st century, claims to status, esteem and influence are increasingly framed in terms of feelings (e.g. feeling hurt, offended or disgusted), sentiments and emotional states. Hence, we may be experiencing an emotional/affective turn in public discourse and in politics, as well as in the academe.
These and many other themes will be addressed over the course of the Emotional Turn series. In the course of these series, we will
For any questions related to The Emotional Turn in Contemporary Public and Academic Debates lecture series, please send an email to Dr. Maxim Kupovykh.