Affect is what states make of it: articulating everyday experiences of 9/11

Holland, J. and Solomon, T. (2014) Affect is what states make of it: articulating everyday experiences of 9/11. Critical Studies on Security, 2(3), pp. 262-267. (doi: 10.1080/21624887.2014.921454)

Abstract

This article considers the politics of affect and official discourses of '9/11'. Drawing on the work of William Connolly and others, it is argued that to understand the resonance of dominant constructions of '9/11' it is necessary to revisit their successful incorporation of prevalent American affective experiences of September 11th. To date, this relationship between affect, resonance, and discourse has been underexplored in International Relations. Its investigation offers important empirical insights on resonance, as well as theoretical innovation in connecting established work on narrative and discourse with emerging work on bioculture and affect. To this end, the article introduces a framework for the future analysis of affect, culture and discourse within International Relations. The article concludes, however, that, notwithstanding its importance to resonance, in 'crisis' situations such as '9/11', affect is what states make of it.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Solomon, Professor Ty
• Authors: Holland, J., and Solomon, T.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Politics
• Journal Name: Critical Studies on Security
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis (Routledge)
• ISSN: 2162-4887
• ISSN (Online): 2162-4909
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2014 Taylor and Francis
• First Published: First published in Critical Studies on Security 2(3):262-267
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher.