Critical Affect Studies

Critical Affect Studies is an academic field that explores how emotions, feelings, and sensations influence our understanding of culture, power, and society. It examines how affect—our instinctive, often unconscious emotional responses—shapes our perceptions and interactions, sometimes beyond language or rational thought. The approach encourages questioning traditional views of emotion as merely personal or subjective, emphasizing instead how affect operates within social structures and media. By doing so, it reveals how emotions contribute to identities, political movements, and cultural experiences, offering deeper insights into human behavior and societal dynamics.