ASTK18177U Passionate Politics

This course discusses political mobilisation as well as political attitudes formation: the factors that motivate political involvement and the consequences that high levels of public engagement have on elections and the development of public policy. Traditional explanations of political engagement emphasise the role of socialization, economic background, or rationality in mobilising voters. In recent years, however, the role of passion and emotions, such as fear, anger, or anxiety, entered the field. 

Emotions are now accepted to be cognitive, particular modes of thought in themselves, rather than contrary to rationality. Nevertheless, if our desires and predilections influence the choices we make, they are necessarily caught up in political judgements, too. The passions are also crucial for providing the emotional basis of individual and social identities, and thus for the collective political communities in which we are situated. Similarly, no movement or ideology could do without the passionate conviction of its members to drive political action or change. Our understanding of key moments of social change thus remains impoverished if we fail to take into account the importance of grief as a response to social upheaval, the role of love and empathy in the creation of political and social solidarities, or the roots of political dissent in anger.

The course aims at uncovering the emotional routes to political and social engagement as well as political attitudes’ formation. It begins with information on current levels of citizen engagement in the European context and elsewhere. This first section of the course covers the various ways in which individuals can be mobilised from involvement in election campaigns to the distribution of political information via social networks. The course then shifts focus to cover the psychology of political mobilization in detail, including the importance of group memberships and identities, emotions, and values. Finally, the last section of the course deals more specifically with the psychology of persuasion and electoral mobilization, including current partisan and issue polarization. Overall, the course is designed to illuminate the psychology of political mobilization and apply these principles to contemporary politics in European countries and beyond.

The course tries to integrate current political debates and the question how politicians as well as policymakers can influence these emotions.

Issues that will be covered by the course:

1. Levels of political engagement in Europe
2. Collective action and social movements
3. The politics of fear
4. Personality and politics
5. Political Psychology theories and collective action: major theories and approaches
6. Social and Political Identity
7. Nationalism and Patriotism
8. Grievances and collective action
9. Political tolerance
10. Emotions and politics
11. Polarized politics
12. The role of persuasion
13. Framing of citizens