The Emotions of Protest

Jasper has been a pioneer in the field of emotions in protest and this book is the crowning achievement of his work. --Linus Owens, Middlebury College This is the big systematic theory book we've been waiting for about emotions in politics, and indeed, in all social action. Emotions are short-run outbursts (what we usually think of as emotions), but also medium-run energizing or de-energizing moods, and long-run affective commitments and moral visions that constitute the meanings of our cognitions about the world. The combination of these different time-scales sometimes makes us later regret short-run feelings, or disrupts how individuals get along with their group. But the feeling/thinking blend is inescapably fateful for whatever happens. Jasper makes a big advance for theory of emotions, using social protests as a key research site. --Randall Collins, University of Pennsylvania Highly recommended. . .A definitive, systematic book that explores emotions in politics and in social action writ large. . .This is an outstanding book, suitable for academicians in all social sciences and for any professionals with responsibility for organizing and managing social and political protests. --Choice The Emotions of Protest has a vast scope, both chronologically and in terms of fitting various theoretical moments and turns into an overarching narrative. This moves smoothly between and across academic disciplines, too, from political philosophy to sociology and psychology. Jasper is broadly successful in terms of steering a route through the maelstrom of politics, action, motivation and emotions. . .The success of The Emotions of Protest lies in its relatability. We know (or, at least, we think we know) our own emotions and what provokes them, and so it's perhaps inevitable that readers will identify with a thesis that celebrates and moves them to centre-stage. Jasper's knowledge of the field is breathtaking. --Times Higher Education With The Emotions of Protest, Jasper- one of the main figures in this field for decades-wrote a book that is useful for exploring recent emotion research across various disciplines, obtaining an informed overview of emotions in protest and politics, and finding inspiration for future research on protest, politics, emotion, and human action. In its ambitious scope the book promises an overview of emotions in politics, but the typology may also hold for many more processes and social actions. Thereby, the book successfully develops a perspective on emotions that is cultural and interactive, based on, and explaining, meaning and interpretation, micro- as well as macro-social processes. Due to Jasper's accessible writing style and the many examples, the book makes for a good read and will be of interest to students, researchers, and non-academic readers alike. --Soziopolis