The Emotional Politics of the Alternative Left
The Emotional Politics of the Alternative Left
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In the 1970s, a multifaceted alternative scene developed in West Germany. At the core of this leftist scene was a struggle for feelings in a capitalist world that seemed to be devoid of any emotions. Joachim C. Häberlen offers here a vivid account of these emotional politics. The book discusses critiques of rationality and celebrations of insanity as an alternative. It explores why capitalism made people feel afraid and modern cities made people feel lonely. Readers are taken to consciousness raising groups, nude swimming at alternative vacation camps, and into the squatted houses of the early 1980s. Häberlen draws on a kaleidoscope of different voices to explore how West Germans became more concerned with their selves, their feelings, and their bodies. By investigating how leftists tried to transform themselves through emotional practices, Häberlen gives us a fresh perspective on a fascinating aspect of West German history.
- Provides a new perspective on leftist politics in West Germany which will stimulate debates about the place of the alternative left in West German history
- Offers a vivid and surprising vision of emotional practices within the Alternative Left
- Combines theoretical approaches to the writing of a history of emotions with close archival research
Product details
November 2018Hardback
9781108471749
318 pages
235 × 158 × 19 mm
0.63kg
9 b/w illus.
Available
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Table of Contents
- Introduction
- 1. Wholeness and exuberance
- 2. Feelings against reason
- 3. The emotional misery of capitalism
- 4. Searching for intimacy
- 5. Exuberance and intensity
- Conclusion.
