Abstract
ABSTRACT Emotions are not a new comer in South Asian studies. Putting them centre stage, however, allow for an increasing complexity and reflexivity in the categories we are researching: Instead of assuming that we already know what love, anger, or fear is and hence can use them to explain interactions and developments, the categories themselves have become open to inquiry. Emotions matter at three levels. They impact the way humans experience the world; they play an important role in the process through which individuals and social groups endow their experiences with meaning; and they are important in providing the motivation to act in the world. This article introduces a collection of articles focusing on emotions in South Asia, extending from the classical period to the present and bringing together a number of disciplines, from literary and religious studies, to history, anthropology, and sociology. It provides an overview over the work that has been done in the field of emotion studies in the last decade with specific reference to South Asia. From there, it questions the relationship between theoretical and methodological reflections on how to study emotions, which until now have been developed mainly on the basis of European and American materials, and the study of South Asian emotions. Three topics stand at the core of the debate: the contribution of emotion to the creation of selves and communities; their place between the micro and the macro level; and finally the role of the non-representational in the study of emotions.
Highlights
Emotions are not a new comer in South Asian studies
They impact the way humans experience the world; they play an important role in the process through which individuals and social groups endow their experiences with mean ing; and they are important in providing the motivation to act in the world
Emotions have been present for many years as one object of inquiry in larger studies, in anthropology, with monographs on love, violence, political mobilizations, and religion; in gender studies and history through the investigation of communalism and nationalism; in religious studies, notably with the investigation of emotions in bhakti, in Sufism, or in Shia rituals; and in philosophical and literary studies, focusing on rasa and the fine distinctions it allows to make between different variations of emotions and sentiments
Summary
Emotions are not a new comer in South Asian studies. Putting them centre stage, allow for an increasing complexity and reflexivity in the categories we are researching: Instead of assuming that we already know what love, anger, or fear is and can use them to explain interactions and developments, the categories themselves have become open to inquiry.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.