Introduction to Interdisciplinary Forum: The Emotional Lives of Constitutional Patriotism

Abstract

Abstract This introduction discusses the interdisciplinary nature of the forum, the history and theory of constitutional patriotism, and the various critiques that have been applied to it. It explains how the essays in the forum advance theories of constitutional patriotism by considering it in particular historical contexts and by examining specific emotions such as love, resentment and sympathy that may be associated with it. It also discusses the methods by which emotions important to constitutional patriotism can be modelled and evoked through an understanding of various types of performance and their relationship to public understandings of patriotism. It concludes with a discussion of the ways the essays advance our understanding of constitutional patriotism and its value for solving both local and global problems involving diverse and divided populations.