Affective Polarization and the Politics of Emotion

Abstract

Emotions are not only reactions to political events; they are constitutive elements of how political realities are interpreted, justified, and contested. This panel explores the role of emotions in shaping political divisions across different contexts, levels, and analytical traditions. Rather than approaching polarization solely as ideological distance or partisan hostility, the panel foregrounds the emotional grammars through which individuals and groups construct belonging, injustice, threat, and legitimacy.

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