The politics of affective citizenship

From Blair to Obama

Bibliographic Data

ID5000439
AuthorsCarol Johnson (0000-0002-2860-7045, The University of Adelaide, corresponding author)
Year2010
Volume14
Issue5
Pages495-509
Publication date2010-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCitizenship Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1362-1025 • E-ISSN: 1469-3593
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13621025.2010.506702
OpenAlexW2101267299
LanguageEN
Citations received59
References cited47

Politicians have long mobilised emotion in order to gain voters' support. However, this article argues that the politics of affect is also implicated in how citizens' identities, rights and entitlements are constructed. Examples are drawn from the positions of UK, US, Canadian and Australian politicians, including Tony Blair, David Cameron, Kevin Rudd and Barack Obama. Emotions analysed include love, fear, anxiety, empathy and hope. The article argues for the importance of a concept of ‘affective citizenship’ which explores (a) which intimate emotional relationships between citizens are endorsed and recognised by governments in personal life and (b) how citizens are also encouraged to feel about others and themselves in broader, more public domains. It focuses on issues of sexuality, gender, race and religion, and argues that the politics of affect has major implications for determining who has full citizenship rights. The Global Financial Crisis has also seen the development of an ‘emotional regime’ in which issues of economic security are increasingly influencing constructions of citizenship

Citizenship · Empathy · Human rights · Human sexuality · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Foucault, Power, and Ethics · Gender Studies · Law · Political and Economic history of UK and US · Psychology · Social Policy and Reform Studies · Social Psychology