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The Centre for the History of the Emotions
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Latest News
Post-Doc Opportunity at the Centre for the History of the Emotions
As part of the new strategic partnership between Queen Mary and the University of Warwick, the Centres for the History of the Emotions at Queen Mary and the History of Medicine at Warwick are collaborating on a history of mental health care in post-war Britain. The first stage of this research has been a witness seminar involving leading policy makers, practitioners, and historians. The Centres are now seeking to appoint two postdoctoral fellows to examine in depth one aspect of this history: the relationship between ethnicity and mental health in Britain since 1945. We look to appoint Fellows who are equipped to undertake advanced level research in the field of post-war British mental health and ethnicity and who have an aptitude for collaborative and interdisciplinary research. The deadline for applications for these two posts is 11 May 2012. Read more....
AHRC Connected Communities Funding for Centre
Jules Evans and Thomas Dixon have been awarded an AHRC 'Connected Communities' award to undertake a research review on the theme of 'Philosophical Communities', exploring the historical and contemporary roles of grass-roots philosophy groups in the UK. The project will identify the most important existing scholarly studies and will have a strong practical element, including a workshop for UK organisers of philosophy groups, and an international online hub. Two of the underlying themes of the project are: (1) The history of cognitive theories of emotion, in philosophy and psychology. (2) The role of philosophy as an activity to master passions, manage emotions, and cultivate affection.
Schooling the Emotions
As part of the AHRC-funded 'Embodied Emotions' research project, investigating the history, theory and practice of emotional literacy in primary schools, Thomas Dixon has written a report on his work at Osmani School. The report, entitled 'Feeling Differently: Using Historical Images to Teach Emotional Literacy in an East London School', discusses classroom activities alongside philosophical, scientific, historical and policy considerations about emotions and expression. It is available to download as a PDF here. There was a screening of Bhavesh Hindocha's documentary film about the project as part of the week of events celebrating the opening of the new Arts Two building in March 2012. The film can now be watched on YouTube.
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About the Centre
The Queen Mary Centre for the History of the Emotions, launched in November 2008, is the first research centre in the UK dedicated to the history of the emotions. One of its key objectives will be to provide a focus for interactions between social and cultural historians of the emotions on the one hand, and historians of science and medicine on the other.
The activities of the Centre relate to research themes such as:
- Theoretical categories: passions, affections, sentiments, feelings, emotions
- The idea of expression: using the emotional body to read the emotional mind
- Madness: passions and pathology in medicine and psychiatry
- Well-being: happiness, public health, and emotions as political objects
- Difference: how have emotions associated with different races, sexes, and sexual orientations been experienced, categorised, and controlled?
- Religion: religious practices and regimes of emotion
- Law: the definition, control, and punishment of passions and emotions
To be added to the History of Emotions email list run by the Centre, please visit the JISCmail homepage for the list to sign up.
On this site you will find a list of members of the Centre, details of our past and future events, and links to related research centres in the UK and abroad, and to classic texts in the history of ideas about passions and emotions.
