Fear No More

Review of International Studies (2008), 34, 115–135 Copyright  British International Studies Association

doi:10.1017/S0260210508007821

Fear no more: emotions and world politics
ROLAND BLEIKER AND EMMA HUTCHISON*

Abstract. Although emotions play a significant role in world politics they have so far received surprisingly little attention by International Relations scholars. Numerousauthors have emphasised this shortcoming for several years now, but strangely there are still only very few systematic inquiries into emotions and even fewer related discussions on method. The article explains this gap by the fact that much of International Relations scholarship is conducted in the social sciences. Such inquiries can assess emotions up to a certain point, as illustrated by empiricalstudies on psychology and foreign policy and constructivist engagements with identity and community. But conventional social science methods cannot understand all aspects of phenomena as ephemeral as those of emotions. Doing so would involve conceptualising the influence of emotions even when and where it is not immediately apparent. The ensuing challenges are daunting, but at least some of themcould be met by supplementing social scientific methods with modes of inquiry emanating from the humanities. By drawing on feminist and other interpretive approaches we advance three propositions that would facilitate such cross-disciplinary inquiries. (1) The need to accept that research can be insightful and valid even if it engages unobservable phenomena, and even if the results of such inquiriescan neither be measured nor validated empirically; (2) The importance of examining processes of representation, such as visual depictions of emotions and the manner in which they shape political perceptions and dynamics; (3) A willingness to consider alternative forms of insight, most notably those stemming from aesthetics sources, which, we argue, are particularly suited to capturing emotions.Taken together, these propositions highlight the need for a sustained global communication across different fields of knowledge.

Introduction Emotions play an obvious and omnipresent role in world politics. The ensuing implications are particularly evident in the context of transnational communications. Consider how images of the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, broadcasted ad infinitum aroundthe world, have had a decisively emotional impact on how people perceive issues of security and national identity. Many of the subsequent political actions, from the swift US-led wars of response in Afghanistan and Iraq to the suspension of basic civil rights and the legitimisation of torture, would not have been possible without the highly emotional impact of 9/11 and the equally emotional
*Earlier versions of this article were presented at the University of St Andrews, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, the Australian National University and the University of Queensland. We gratefully acknowledge feedback from the participants, from the three editors of this Special Issue, and from Thomas Bernauer, Stephen Chan, Richard Devetak, Ned Lebow, Jon Mercer, Iver Neumann, FrankSchimmelfennig, Jacqui True, Pete Van Ness and an anonymous reviewer. Roland recognises the generous support of a fellowship from the Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities at Cambridge University. Emma would like to thank the University of Queensland for a Travel Award that facilitated collaborative work on this project.

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Roland Bleiker and Emma Hutchisongovernmental appeal to defend the world of good against the forces of evil. But fear and hatred are not the only emotions that play an important role in world politics. Empathy and compassion can be just as influential. Look at the unprecedented level of transnational solidarity that emerged in response to the tsunami that devastated parts of East and South Asia in 2004. Governments and individual...