Emotional Memories Stemming From a Crisis: A Snapshot of AIDS Activism in Washington, DC (1981–1986)

Abstract

Emotional memories—described in this article as conscious, protracted memories that reference emotional events from the past—provide powerful qualitative data for social analysts. The reconfigured concept “emotional memories,” a neuroscientific term, is utilized to help describe the long-term effects of affective, historically situated marginalization. The author highlights emotional memories of African American lesbian, gay, and bisexual activists involved in the early years of the AIDS crisis in Washington, DC, and connects these memories to documentation in the archives, which illuminate the source and power of these emotions. The author additionally uses an interdisciplinary lens to sociologically understand collective, yet individual, emotional responses to an epidemic.