Political Affect: Connecting the Social and the Somatic (Volume 7)

by John Protevi

For many philosophers, the rational cognitive (Cartesian) subject defines the human, or at least defines what humans should be. Yet some recent cognitive science, as well as the philosophy of Deleuze and Guattari, has called into question such individuality and rationality and emphasized social and emotional subjectivity. Understanding such embodied and embedded subjectivity, John Protevi argues, demands the notion of bodies politic. In Political Affect , Protevi investigates the relationship between the social and the how our bodies, minds, and social settings are intricately and intimately linked. Bringing together concepts from science, philosophy, and politics, he develops a perspective he calls political physiology to indicate that subjectivity is socially conditioned and sometimes bypassed in favor of a direct connection of the social and the somatic, as with the politically triggered basic emotions of rage and panic. Protevi's treatment of affective cognition in social context breaks new theoretical ground, insisting that subjectivity be studied both in its embodied expression and in terms of the distribution of affective cognitive responses in a population. Moving beyond the theoretical, Protevi applies his concept of political affect to show how unconscious emotional valuing shaped three recent, emotionally charged the cold rage of the Columbine High School slayings, the racialized panic that delayed rescue efforts in Hurricane Katrina, and the twists and turns of empathy occasioned by the Terry Schiavo case. These powerful individual and collective political events require new philosophical understanding.

Genres: Philosophy, Politics, Theory, Political Science

241 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

John Protevi is Professor of French Studies and Professor of Philosophy at Louisiana State University. His research focuses on the intersections of dynamical systems theory; the cognitive, life, and earth sciences; and contemporary French philosophy.

Reviews

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really essential reading for those interested in affect and political theory. Political Affect deftly reveals not only how affect can be incorporated into political analysis, but also how complexity theory maps to Deleuzian concepts, such as fields of virtual difference. Even if you aren't interested in the political implications of affect theory, it is a worthwhile investigation of how organizational dynamics are shaped by conscious and unconscious processes.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone interested in how the ideas of controversial thinkers like Gilles Deleuze relate to social and political issues should check out Protevi's Political Affect. Of particular note are the case studies of the Columbine shooting, the Terry Shavio case, and post-Katrina New Orleans. The book further develops Protevi's notions of the body politic and political physiology to analyze these events in terms of a materialist approach to moral and political thought in an accessible and clear manner.

[Jarred · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actually 4 1/2 if I had the option.

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars