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Speaking from the Heart: Emotion Discourse Analysis in International Relations

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Researching Emotions in International Relations

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in International Relations ((PSIR))

Abstract

How can emotions be studied in discourse? Constructivist and poststructuralist approaches in International Relations often emphasize the importance of language in the construction of reality, identity, and power relations. It is argued here that the inclusion of emotions as an additional category of analysis for intersubjectivity expands the scope of meanings that emerge from discourse analysis. Integrating research on emotions within discourse analysis, this chapter develops a methodological framework for studying emotions in discourses based on three steps: (1) selecting appropriate texts, (2) mapping the verbal expression of emotions, and (3) interpreting and contextualizing their political implications. The methodological framework is empirically illustrated using the conflict between NATO and Russia over the annexation of the Crimean peninsula.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    I owe this point to Todd Hall .

  2. 2.

    Statement by NATO foreign ministers on Russia , Press Release (2014) 062, 1 April 2014, http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_108501.htm.

  3. 3.

    Founding Act on Mutual Relations, Cooperation and Security between NATO and the Russian Federation, 27 May 1997, http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/official_texts_25468.htm.

  4. 4.

    Remarks by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen at a press conference with Moscow-based journalists, 26 March 2012, http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/opinions_85625.htm?selectedLocale=en.

  5. 5.

    Remarks by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen at the ceremony to mark the NATO enlargement anniversaries, 1 April 2014, http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/opinions_108509.htm.

  6. 6.

    Doorstep statement by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen at the start of the NATO foreign ministers meeting, 1 April 2014, http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/opinions_108502.htm.

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Acknowledgements

Research for this chapter has been generously funded by the German Research Council (DFG) as part of the research project Constructivist Emotion Research (Grant number: KO-4078/3-1).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Free University Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Simon Koschut

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  1. Simon Koschut
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of International Politics, Helmut Schmidt University, Hamburg, Germany

    Maéva Clément

  2. FNRS / University of Namur, Namur, Belgium

    Eric Sangar

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Koschut, S. (2018). Speaking from the Heart: Emotion Discourse Analysis in International Relations. In: Clément, M., Sangar, E. (eds) Researching Emotions in International Relations. Palgrave Studies in International Relations. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65575-8_12

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