ERIC Number: EJ1113426
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1522-7502
EISSN: N/A
An Unnecessary Divorce: Integrating the Study of Affect and Emotion in New Media
Nelson, Julie D.
Composition Forum, v34 Sum 2016
Rhetoric and composition scholars' almost exclusive reliance on Brian Massumi's definition of affect has spurred a theoretical and practical divorce between "affect" and "emotion" in our field. This article returns to Lynn Worsham's "Going Postal" and argues that to fully scrutinize and respond to what she calls "pedagogic violence," affects and emotions must be theorized in tandem, especially as violent rhetorics increasingly spread through new media. Through a close reading of Massumi's work, consideration of alternate affect theories, and discussion of Aristotle's systematic theory of emotions, I illustrate how inseparable affects are from emotions. I examine the affects and emotions at work in a contemporary example of pedagogic violence--police brutality toward African Americans--and suggest new media not just contributes to but also disrupts violent rhetorics, damaging emotional educations, and negative affective relations, which I explore through a brief analysis of Twitter.
Descriptors: Social Media, Rhetoric, Writing (Composition), Psychological Patterns, Emotional Response, Affective Behavior, Discourse Analysis, Law Enforcement, African Americans, Violence, Racial Bias, Fear, Personal Narratives
Association of Teachers of Advanced Composition. e-mail: cf@compositionforum.com; Web site: http://compositionforum.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A