In the process of modernizing higher education, the dynamic evolution of students’ socio-emotional competence and the multidimensional interaction of the higher education governance system constitute the core mechanisms affecting educational quality. Drawing on the intersection of the sociology of emotions and governance theory, this paper integrates interactive ritual chain theory and governance network theory to construct a coupled “emotion-governance” analytical framework. Through a mixed-methods study of a typical university, the paper reveals how SECs develop through the mechanism of affective dynamics, driven by institutional rules, organizational culture, and technological intermediaries. The paper finds that governance rule density and SEC growth have an inverted U-shaped relationship: rigid institutions enhance the sense of control and promote goal management ability before the critical value, but overloaded rules trigger emotional dissipation, leading to a decline in responsible decision-making ability. Meanwhile, the emotional connection between teachers and students empowers the development of SECs via a dual transmission path: emotional support directly strengthens relational skills and indirectly enhances self-management ability through academic efficacy. Finally, the algorithmic recommendation system generates the “emotional bubble effect”, and the collaborative filtering platform increases homogeneity in students’ social circles, significantly inhibiting the development of social awareness. This paper indicatively proposes an “Adaptive Emotional Governance Network” model consisting of a participatory decision-making module, a cultural immersion system and a digital twin laboratory functioning as an emotional adjustment centre. This model has been empirically verified to increase the growth rate of SECs in conflict situations.

In digital societies, social media has emerged as a critical arena for immigrant communities to engage in identity construction, yet there remains limited research on identity negotiation within specific digital platforms in the Chinese context. This study examines how Mainland Chinese immigrants negotiate identity, express emotions, and engage in social interactions on Hong Kong’s LIHKG platform (a locally dominant online forum established in 2016 that serves as Hong Kong’s primary community discussion platform) to adapt to the local socio-cultural environment. The research conceptualizes place as both physical location (Hong Kong as destination) and digital space (LIHKG as virtual locale), exploring how these intersecting spatial dimensions shape identity construction processes. Using grounded theory methodology, we analyzed 800 platform posts and conducted in-depth interviews with 20 Mainland Chinese immigrants. Results reveal a dynamic identity negotiation process characterized by four patterns (integrative, confrontational, collaborative, and avoidance) that immigrants strategically employ across different contexts. Place emerges as a fundamental organizing principle, with immigrants navigating between physical Hong Kong, digital platform spaces, and imagined cultural territories in their identity work. Emotions emerged as critical resources in identity construction, with specific regulation strategies developed to navigate exclusionary experiences. Interactions between immigrants and locals demonstrated significant topic differentiation, with political discussions exhibiting heightened boundaries while professional and everyday topics facilitated collaborative engagement. LIHKG’s platform features—including anonymity mechanisms and voting systems—fundamentally shape these identity expressions and group dynamics. This research contributes to migration studies by incorporating both digital and physical place dimensions into traditional frameworks, integrating emotional sociology, and developing localized theoretical models specific to Hong Kong-Mainland relations. The findings offer implications for digital inclusion policies, platform governance, immigrant support services, and construction of inclusive public discourse across multiple place-based contexts.

The paper explores the fundamental characteristics of the socio-institutional paradigm used to study “social intercourse” (“obschenie”) in social philosophy. It also discusses the implications of this paradigm for higher education studies. Within this context, the authors view higher education as a process of social interactions between faculty and students. The starting point of the paper’s argument is an understanding of social intercourse (“obschenie”) as a multilevel social phenomenon, an adequate philosophical reflection of which implies three research paradigms: information-instrumental, existential-phenomenological, and social-institutional. Taking into account the impulsive expansion of AI instruments into everyday life, the authors promote the social-institutional paradigm for higher education social analytics, highlighting its emphasis on the transformation of university social relations. After a rather short overview of the socio-institutional paradigm within philosophy, the authors then examine promising avenues of contemporary social science research relevant to this paradigm. The authors identify three most promising areas: the development of microsociology and sociology of emotions toward the analysis of social structures and relations (R. Collins, J. Barbalet), institutional ethnography (D. Smith), and philosophical and anthropological rethinking of Marx’s heritage (D. Graeber, P. Virno). For each of the conceptual frames, the authors formulate research questions about higher education in the age of AI. These questions specify further directions for the social analytics of higher education that avoid both techno-optimism and techno-pessimism.

This article explores how memorable family messages during childhood shape transgender women’s sense of self and emotions in postcolonial Pakistan. The gender order in Pakistan is still governed by the rigid Victorian gender binary norms enacted during British colonial rule. Expressions of femininity in children assigned male at birth are socially condemned and seen as threats to family honor (izzat) and masculinity. Combining insights from the Theory of Memorable Messages (ToMM) and the sociology of emotions, and drawing on 25 in-depth interviews, I demonstrate that transgender children receive hostile messages for gender nonconformity. These messages, I argue, are powerful tools of gender policing that fracture self-concepts and suppress emotions, thus reproducing the colonial logic of control and cisnormativity. Many transgender individuals are forced to leave their biological families and form chosen kinship networks anchored in “dard-e-mushtarik” or “shared pain,” which offer emotional refuge and affirm their self-concepts. Despite living in chosen kinships, they still experience precarious social and emotional existence. This article advances queer and transgender scholarship by illustrating family communication as a site of the colonial legacy of gender regulation. It suggests the importance of emotions in the politics of gender and identity in South Asia. It also calls for greater scholarly, clinical, and policy attention to everyday interactions between transgender children and their parents.

ABSTRACT While the social and interactive complexity of coach education work has attracted increased scholarly attention, there is a paucity of work addressing the emotional display rules that feature in coach educators' interactions with others. This article begins to address this lacuna by presenting novel insights into how the emotions that coach educators convey to their learners are shaped by identifiable display rules. Data were generated via 21 emotion diaries and 33 semi-structured interviews conducted with 4 coach educators. Using a phronetic iterative approach to data analysis, we identified that coach educators' emotional performances were governed by four emotional display rules: (a) smile and be happy, (b) do not show any nerves or stage fright, (c) displays of anger are prohibited and (d) strategic displays of disappointment are permitted. The identification of distinct feeling rules and impacts on the emotional labour work of coach educators makes an original contribution to the sociology of emotions in sport, understanding of coach educators' work, and has significant practical implications regarding the preparation, support and development of a pedagogically astute and cared-for coach education workforce.

This article considers the intergenerational source of juvenile misbehaviour in present-day China. Drawing on insights from the sociology of emotions and criminological strain theory, it develops a strain–negative emotions–delinquency relationship, focusing on the mediating role of negative emotions. Based on semi-structured interviews, it explores four types of family strain: interparental conflict, parental rejection, harsh parental discipline and academic failure. These strains elicit negative emotions in children, such as anxiety, humiliation and frustration, which can result in bullying at school, addiction to online games and premature love. Interview data illustrate the emotional rewards associated with misbehaviour. Specifically, misbehaving helps children who experience intergenerational strains escape negative feelings, experience thrills and excitement, and gain peer recognition, emotional companionship, a sense of self-esteem and masculine pride. This research develops a criminology of emotions as well as understanding the strain–negative emotions–delinquency relationship, a neglected dimension of intergenerational relations in contemporary China.

Abstract The Emotional Others and the Academic Community. Theoretical Approaches towards the Sociality of Academic Self-Understanding Debates on a new emotionality at German universities display the role that norms of recognizable emotions play in academic community building. While the sociology of emotions provides an account towards the group-stabilizing function of dealing with deviation, an educational theory of communitizing address highlights formative (bildende) moments of alienation and withdrawal within the formation of an academic community.

The article is devoted to the sociological analysis of the category of "uyat" (shame) in Kazakhstani society, with an emphasis on its role in the formation of cultural and social norms. The article analyzes interdisciplinary studies of the emotion of shame as a complex phenomenon determined by both individual and sociocultural factors. Various theoretical approaches to the study of shame are considered. Particular attention is paid to social theories of shame, including cultural, ritual and structural concepts that emphasize the importance of interaction between the individual, society and norms of behavior. The study included a pilot survey involving 123 respondents from three cities in Kazakhstan: Almaty, Astana and Pavlodar. Particular attention was paid to the perception of the concept of "uyat" as a behavior regulator, a limiter of social and cultural norms. The data analysis revealed different attitudes towards traditional norms: from respect for their basic elements to recognizing them as outdated and irrelevant. The study emphasizes the influence of urbanization, age and mass culture on the weakening of traditional norms, especially among young people. Modern challenges such as shaming and its consequences in society are considered. Conclusions are made about the need to education and active dialogue between generations to preserve positive aspects of traditions. Keywords: sociology of emotions, “uyat”, shame, theories of shame studies, shaming, “uyatmen”.

This paper explores how disabled people manage their own and other's emotions during encounters with strangers in accessible parking spaces in a UK context. Due to their mundanity, the affective impact of encounters is frequently not considered in the move towards removing barriers to public space for disabled people. Understanding the energy and emotion work that goes into managing these affects therefore offers a crucial new perspective on how we understand what "accessibility" means. Situating my analysis at the intersection between the sociology of emotions and critical disability studies, I present data from 20 disabled interview participants in England on their experiences of accessible parking encounters. This includes a discussion of the impression management and emotion work required to navigate encounters in parking spaces, and the exclusionary impact these encounters can have over time. In the findings I highlight how considering relational and psycho-emotional aspects of disablism are crucial when understanding everyday oppression and offer a way to rethink the negative emotions arising from encounters as a collective rather than an individual experience.

The task of assessing and contracting foster parents, usually undertaken by a child protection social worker, is increasingly framed by market arrangements. This article explores, from the perspective of social workers, whether and how this context poses challenges for foster care considerations. Theoretically informed by the sociology of emotions, the following research questions are explored: how do social workers relate to culturally rooted boundaries between the family and market spheres in their interactions with foster parents? How are right and wrong motives for foster parenting constructed in social workers’ retellings of such interactions? The findings are based on abductively processed ethnographic data (observations and interviews) with social workers and managers. The social workers’ reflections reveal ambivalence and contradiction. On a normative level, they reinforce cultural boundaries between the family and market spheres, keeping ideals of good parenting separate from market logic. Yet, they face situations in which it is difficult to defend this division, and market arrangements can even be perceived as beneficial. These themes provide an empirical illustration of emotional ambivalence resulting from blurred boundaries between the private and public spheres in neoliberal modernity. As emotion norms directly affect the assessment of foster parents, the sociology of emotions can contribute to social workers’ reflections on the sources of tension in foster care.

Use of theory to conceptualise interprofessional practice and inform interprofessional education is growing. This paper draws on two emerging theories in education and the sociology of emotions - epistemic cognition and emotional climates - to analyse an important interprofessional setting: weekly case conferences in one radiation oncology department. Drawing on detailed transcription of video data, ethnographic fieldnotes, and reflexive interviews with four participant/co-analysts, we analysed the knowledge aims, ideals, and processes for evaluating knowledge claims across 9 case conferences (3 meetings x 3 groups), as well as their associated emotional climates. Findings indicate that recency, and relational or disciplinary expertise are key values against which knowledge claims are judged. Epistemic styles and emotional climates vary; when meeting leaders encourage others to ask questions and promote a relaxed emotional climate, this may invite more diversified epistemic contributions. More broadly, our study brings together epistemic cognition and emotional climate as situated phenomena, providing empirical, conceptual and potential pedagogical advances.

This article explores the concept of a metaverse courtroom by engaging in an imaginative dialogue between Shakespeare's Hamlet and Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash. Using Connolly's method of juxtaposing distinct intellectual traditions, the analysis examines key aspects of justice processes-presence, facework, movement, adversarialism, and evidence presentation-in virtual spaces. Drawing on insights from dramaturgy, the sociology of emotions, and science fiction, the article considers how the performative and symbolic dimensions of physical courtrooms might translate to the metaverse. By imagining the metaverse courtroom as a space for innovation and interaction, this article seeks to illuminate how literature, sociology, and technology can collaboratively inspire the reimagining of justice in virtual environments.

This article investigates how objectivity is performed and embodied in Swedish rape trials, where legal decisions often hinge on oral testimonies rather than technical evidence. Drawing on the sociology of emotions and feminist legal theory, the article challenges the positivist notion of objectivity as dispassionate detachment. Instead, it conceptualizes objectivity as a situated and emotionally regulated practice, co-produced through empathic translation and imagination. Based on ethnographic fieldwork-including observations, interviews with legal professionals, and analysis of 18 rape cases-the study shows how empathy serves as a critical epistemic tool in the courtroom. Judges and other legal actors must translate everyday experiences into legal logics while maintaining impartiality. Concepts such as himpathy and herasure (Manne), female fear, and male fear are used to explore how gendered norms shape credibility assessments and emotional orientations in rape trials. The article argues that empathy does not undermine objectivity, but rather constitutes its condition in cases where normative assumptions and lived experiences diverge. Harding's standpoint epistemology and concept of strong objectivity inform a model of legal reasoning that is reflexive, perspectival, and emotionally attuned. The study identifies how empathic trials-where legal actors actively engage with gendered perspectives-can counteract testimonial and hermeneutical injustice, thus fostering more equitable adjudication. Ultimately, the article advocates for a reconceptualisation of objectivity as embodied and relational, particularly crucial in the legal treatment of sexual violence.

In this article, we make the case for a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between sexuality and religion and offer strategies to advance the sociology of the sexualities subfield. We challenge the dichotomy often posed by sociologists of sexualities who implicitly or explicitly cast moral judgment on both sexuality and religion: Sexuality, as far as it represents queer possibilities and sexual freedom, is good. Religion, assumed to be restrictive and conservative, is bad. Instead, we argue that to fully understand the social and power dynamics of sexuality, religion, and their overlap, we must recognize the complex webs of meaning that allow sexuality and religion to produce great harm and destruction, but also to validate and uplift. We then explain how two bodies of scholarship offer productive approaches to move the study of religious sexualities forward: the sociology of emotions and postcolonial and decolonizing scholarship. Sociology must recognize the multiple ways in which religion and sexuality constitute a powerful combination in social life.

This article analyses the divergent affective discourse strategies employed by Donald Trump and Kamala Harris during their 2024 US presidential campaign speeches. It explores how both candidates mobilise similar emotions – anger, fear/anxiety, pride, love, courage/fearlessness, confidence/determination and hope – but with different consistencies, targeting distinct threats and protectors of US political culture. The study draws on the theoretical framework of the sociology of emotions, employing the emotion narrative heuristic. This approach integrates critical discourse analysis and discourse analysis of emotions. The study focuses on the relationship between social objects to which emotions are discursively attached and analyses the emotional dynamics they generate. The findings indicate that Trump positions himself as a heroic saviour, one who is protecting the nation from threats such as migration and weak leadership. This narrative fosters anger and fear among the nation’s citizens towards outsiders, while instilling them with pride and hope in his leadership. In contrast, Harris focuses on justice, opportunity and collective progress. She portrays Trump as a threat to democracy, thereby evoking anger and galvanising support for democratic values. Both candidates employ the core grammar of US political culture, namely success/prosperity, US primacy and security/safety. However, a critical distinction emerges in their depiction of threats and heroes, and the influence on their understanding of institutions and procedures within liberal democracy. Trump’s myopic populist approach personalises leadership, while Harris’s universalist stance prioritises institutionalism. This study underscores the role of emotion narratives in shaping political culture, revealing how they influence voter mobilisation and the broader democratic process.

Abstract The Anthropocene signifies a new geologic epoch in which human life has radically altered the natural world. The line between humanity and nature, like the line between culture and biology, was never as cleanly delineated as we might assume. While acknowledging the changes marked by the Anthropocene, we can contend with the myth of human/nature separation by turning to indigenous understandings of the interconnectedness of all life forms. Developing a sociology of emotions for this epoch would benefit from the following: (1) continued examination of emotions within the context of economic shifts, particularly the depth and reach of neoliberal capitalism; (2) decentering humanity in line with indigenous emotion practices; (3) renewed consideration of feelings of greed, belonging, and trust; and (4) examination of emerging neo-emotions that connect feelings to the shifting conditions of life in the Anthropocene.

Emotions are a fundamental part of human existence, a power that massively affects our thinking and actions. Even after the affective turn in social sciences, religion is to a very large extent overlooked in the sociology of emotions. Then, psychological research on sense of safety often leaves the societal and political contexts of emotions unattended. Sense of safety-the topic of our study-provides an excellent topic to explore emotions as social, societal, spatial, and embodied phenomenon. Our article concerns the ways in which sense of safety is both constructed and contested in religious spaces and how to study the topic. The aim of this article thus is to develop a methodological tool for empirically exploring the sense of safety experienced in the spaces of religion. The article first discusses sense of safety and space, specifically in relation to religion, and the need for a methodological approach to investigating it empirically. The article leans on environmental psychology, urban studies, and research on the recognition and politics of belonging from political philosophy. Based on this, we design The Spiral Model: a one-plus-five dimensions tool for empirical exploration of sense of safety in religious spaces, and the dimensions are: Identifying a religious place; Unpacking intergroup connectedness, and networks of belonging and safety; Focusing on intragroup boundaries, and how they are afforded by physical surroundings; Exploring the embodied emotions that are associated with the place and its spatial dimension; and, Looking at the embodied emotions of sense of safety of inter- and intragroup nexuses in the framework of wider social, societal, and global vistas. To demonstrate how the model can be applied, for both data collection and analysis, we introduce four ongoing, collaborative empirical case studies: (1) a novel communal church building, (2) LGBTQ+ Muslims, (3) Jewish mikveh baths, and (4) intersections of dance and religion. Although the spiral model developed in this article is far from complete, it holds a lot of potential for advancing a more holistic view of humans in research and deepening the understanding of social space with philosophical conceptualization and analysis related to recognition and politics of belonging.

A political economy of hope: Materialisations of social class and inequity in women's imaginings of alcohol (free) futures.

The sociology of emotions is an interesting analytical instrument to retrospectively understand social phenomena and a sociological look at violence always thematized the centrality of emotions. The Nanjing Massacre is one of the largest violence cases in human history. Besides arson, looting and massacre, the sexual violence committed by the Japanese army against innocent women stirred up people’s anger and pain, and formed traumatic memories. This paper attempts to analyze the ways in which documentary materials, fictional works and short videos about the sexual violence during the Nanjing Massacre have participated in the construction of cultural trauma from the perspective of sociology of emotions. In this way, the connections between violence against women and emotions in a historical case of collective violence are analyzed. On one hand, through testimonies and news reports, we find that the victims of sexual violence often refuse to recall their experiences due to traditional views on chastity, and the Chinese people tend to empathize with their shame treating them as hollow symbols of national suffering. On the other hand, through films and short videos, we discover that collective memory as an emotional experience is also restructured and expressed under the influence of capital and globalization.

Abstract While most people in Western societies see themselves as emotionally incapable of slaughtering animals, slaughterhouse workers are involved in the killing of animals on a daily basis. This article analyzes how slaughterhouse workers perform emotion work in the context of slaughtering animals. The empirical study, based on 13 semi-structured interviews carried out with German slaughterhouse workers, shows that the successful use of emotion management techniques leads to professional emotional distance towards the act of killing. For the slaughterers interviewed, being emotionally unaffected by killing animals was the result of background emotion work, which was an expression of a professional emotional habitus. Only in rare cases, when disruptive emotions interrupted the familiar routines during work, was the underlying emotion work foregrounded and thus consciously experienced and reflected upon. The article contributes to research on slaughterhouse work by systematically analyzing emotion work techniques used by slaughterers. It is innovative in that it introduces the theoretical approach of background and foreground emotions in workplaces that require professional neutrality to the study of slaughterhouse work. It shows that background emotion work is an essential prerequisite for slaughterhouse work and invites further research on background emotion work in morally tainted jobs. The paper makes an innovative contribution to the theory and research on the sociology of emotions and emotion work, the sociology of human–animal relations, and the sociology of agriculture and food.