The social and cultural formations of emotions and affects have been of central interest to social science based emotion research as well as “affect studies” (Gregg/Seigworth 2010) mainly grounded in cultural studies. Media and communication scholars in turn have especially focused on how emotions and affects are produced by media, the way they are communicated through media, and the forms of emotions audiences develop during the use of media. Communication processes can have various affective dimensions: whether as a phenomenon of communication within a shitstorm or a moral panic; as a mode of emotional reception at a distance as in Fremdschämen; or as a trigger for circulation of information in an affective flow (Wetherell 2012; Papacharissi 2015).

The conference wants to add to the ongoing research stream of affect studies and the existing emotion research within media and communication studies. A special emphasis will be placed on exploring structures of difference and power  in relation to emotions and affects.

Organisation:

Prof. Dr. Margreth Lünenborg (margreth.luenenborg@fu-berlin.de)

Dr. Tanja Maier (tanja.maier@fu-berlin.de)

Claudia Töpper (c.toepper@fu-berlin.de)