Naslov
Following the senses: Affect in ethnological studies of war and migration

Autori
Povrzanović Frykman, Maja

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, neobjavljeni rad, znanstveni

Skup
Förnuft och känslor – Affektiv etnologi, X ETNOLOGDAGARNA

Mjesto i datum
Pori, Finska, 15.03.2018. - 16.03.2018

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Plenarno

Vrsta recenzije
Recenziran

Ključne riječi
affect ; senses ; war ; migration

Sažetak
The words affect, emotion, feeling and sentiment are often used interchangeably, and affect is often seen as an ontologically subjective and therefore ambiguous and difficult-to-define ‘something’. Although the definitions vary across social sciences and humanities, the common keywords when describing affects seem to be intensity, contingency and potentiality. While differentiating between affect and emotion, I argue that ethnographic research provides a fertile ground from which to capture the ambiguities of affective and emotive experience. For an ethnographer, that ‘ill- defined indefinite something’ is always related to particular people, places, situations and objects. In order to pinpoint the relevance of affect, ethnologists need to ‘follow the senses’. By paraphrasing the famous Marcus’ methodological metaphor, I do not suggest the necessity of a multi- sited ethnography of affect, but of a clear focus on sensual, bodily experiences that is not static but diachronic, not isolated, but richly contextualised. By following the senses, ethnologists can contribute to an experience-centred understanding of the sensuous interfaces of people and their environment, that is so far underdeveloped both in research on war and migration. However, while the breaches of habitual practices in war appear as especially potent ‘experimental’ situations in which people become aware of the force of affect, it is important to also follow how memories of such situations change over time, and to understand why narratives of the same situation may employ different framings. On the other hand, while moments of sudden recognition of sensual familiarity in a foreign surrounding can contribute to the feeling of inclusion, their relative importance for a migrant’s overall wellbeing should be carefully examined against the backdrop of their life-history. The lecture will revisit some of the topics related to my long-term research interests in war and migration, in order to display how attention to affect can open up for new ethnological insights.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Etnologija i antropologija

POVEZANOST RADA