Affective Relations

The Transnational Politics of Empathy

C Pedwell author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Palgrave Macmillan

Published:5th Sep '14

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Affective Relations cover

Exploring the ambivalent grammar of empathy where questions of geo-politics and social justice are at stake - in popular science, international development, postcolonial fiction, feminist and queer theory - this book addresses the critical implications of empathy's uneven effects. It offers a vital transnational perspective on the 'turn to affect'.

“It not only contributes to a growing body of scholarship on affect theory and neoliberal governmentality, but also problematises the ways in which empathy is mobilised by Western corporations, governments and humanitarian organisations. Affective Relations is a thought-provoking read that will appeal to a broad range of scholars, including those interested in postcolonial or transnational feminism, critical race theory and/or political anthropology.” (Robin Valenzuela, feminist review, Vol. 116 (1), July, 2017)


“Pedwell engages with the politics of empathy as a politics of emotion that is simultaneously material and discursive, relational and embodied, local and transnational. Due to its disciplinary breadth, Affective Relations has something to offer anyone studying emotion from a biological, cultural, and/or political perspective.” (Nicole Laliberté, Emotion, Space and Society, Vol. 21, November, 2016)


“Pedwell’s rich study examines the diverse ways in which empathy is mobilised – from political speeches that uphold neoliberalism, to postcolonial literatures that refuse certain forms of empathic connection. … The framework of Affective Relations is strongly interdisciplinary, bringing literatures from feminism, postcolonialism, neuroscience, psychoanalysis and popular science into dialogue. … This is an ambitious project that highlights how empathy materialises in different spheres, through different media, and through different types of encounter.” (Amanda Rogers, societyandspace.org, April, 2015)

ISBN: 9781137275257

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 4287g

258 pages