The politics of affective citizenship: from Blair to Obama

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dc.contributor.authorJohnson, C.
dc.date.issued2010
dc.description.abstractPoliticians have long mobilised emotion in order to gain voters' support. However, this article argues that the politics of affect is also implicated in how citizens' identities, rights and entitlements are constructed. Examples are drawn from the positions of UK, US, Canadian and Australian politicians, including Tony Blair, David Cameron, Kevin Rudd and Barack Obama. Emotions analysed include love, fear, anxiety, empathy and hope. The article argues for the importance of a concept of 'affective citizenship' which explores (a) which intimate emotional relationships between citizens are endorsed and recognised by governments in personal life and (b) how citizens are also encouraged to feel about others and themselves in broader, more public domains. It focuses on issues of sexuality, gender, race and religion, and argues that the politics of affect has major implications for determining who has full citizenship rights. The Global Financial Crisis has also seen the development of an 'emotional regime' in which issues of economic security are increasingly influencing constructions of citizenship.
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityCarol Johnson
dc.identifier.citationCitizenship Studies, 2010; 14(5):495-509
dc.identifier.doi10.1080/13621025.2010.506702
dc.identifier.issn1362-1025
dc.identifier.issn1469-3593
dc.identifier.orcidJohnson, C. [0000-0002-2860-7045]
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2440/62788
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherRoutledge
dc.rights© 2010 Taylor & Francis
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.1080/13621025.2010.506702
dc.subjectcitizenship
dc.subjectpolitics
dc.subjectaffect
dc.subjectsexuality/sexual orientation
dc.subjectrace
dc.subjectidentity
dc.titleThe politics of affective citizenship: from Blair to Obama
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished

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