Guangfeng Yuan: Power of Emotion: the Politics of Emotion in Public Life

This book explores emotions and their role in public life. It delves into the understanding of emotions within three traditions of public life studies, namely those of Jürgen Habermas, Hannah Arendt, and Richard Sennett. Building upon existing research, the book argues that emotions are not merely bodily and physiological reactions, but also ways of engaging with the world that can contribute to creating meaning, forming social relations, and constructing sociopolitical order. Drawing on this framework, it analyzes the role and impact of empathy, sympathy, anger, fear, jealousy, resentment, nostalgia, and narcissism in political and public life.