Learning objectives
Introduction to understanding the relational complexity of emotional processes and the emotional dimension of modern-democratic societies
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree in humanistic, linguistic, economic or political-social disciplines.
Course unit content
The permanent conflict of emotions in democracy.
Emotions are not private reactive events but social actions, politically relevant, which take shape in our incessant "interactive dances" while contributing, circularly, to form them: this is the hypothesis discussed in the course, in reference to the ecology of mind of G. Bateson (1904-1980), to the theory of emotions as common works of P. Dumouchel (1947-living) and to the mimetic theory of desire of R. Girard (1923-2015).
Through the joint reading of some suggestive pages by the French sociologist G. Tarde (1843-1904), written about 130 years ago, we will also discuss, more specifically, the emotional experience of societies with a democratic political regime, characterized by permanent conflict between symmetrical affectivity (expectations of free-egalitarian-fraternal reciprocity) and asymmetrical affectivity (expectations of protective-educational-securitarian reciprocity); a conflict that the recent Covid19 pandemic has further highlighted.
Full programme
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Bibliography
Mandatory texts:
1. P. Dumouchel, Emozioni. Saggio sul corpo e il sociale, Medusa, Milano, 2008 (pp. 19-127.
2. R. Girard, Geometrie del desiderio, Raffaello Cortina, Milano, 2011 (ch. on Paolo and Francesca, and e Juliet and Romeo).
3. S. Manghi, La conoscenza ecologica. Attualità di Gregory Bateson, Raffaello Cortina, Milano, 2010 (pp. 23-137)
4. G. Tarde, La logica sociale dei sentimenti, Armando, Roma, 2011 (pp. 25-80)
Recommended texts:
M. Cerulo, Sociologia delle emozioni, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2020 (part. Ch. 1, 2, 3, 5).
S. Manghi, "Dell’emozionarsi come processo di trasformazione sociale”, 2008 (http://sergiomanghi.altervista.org/Manghi-Emozioni.pdf)
S. Manghi, "La conversione mimetica", articolo, 2013 (http://sergiomanghi.altervista.org/Manghi_su_Girard.2013.pdf).
S. Manghi, L’altro uomo. Violenza di genere e rivalità maschili, Pazzini, Villa Verucchio (Rimini), 2020 (pp. 104).
Teaching methods
Lectures in mixed form, in presence and online.
Assessment methods and criteria
Written test, to be sent to the teacher via email one week before the exam. The test will consist of an essay between 15,000 and 25,000 characters on a news story or taken from literature, cinema or television series, freely identified, which is considered to correspond to the emotional dynamic of "crisis" characteristic of societies with a democratic regime, how it is outlined in all the exam texts. These must be cited - all - adequately (with relevant quotation marks and related footnotes or at the end of the text). Each essay will have a title and will be preceded by an abstract of approximately 500 characters. It is suggested to ask the teacher for confirmation via email of the appropriateness of the identified topic. During the lessons, the possibility of replacing the “news story” with a micro-survey based on interviews will be considered.
Other information
Additional teaching materials can be found on the teacher's personal website: http://sergiomanghi.altervista.org/
