Affective Publics and Their Meaning in Times of Global Crises

Abstract

In the prologue, a conversation with Zizi Papacharissi, who first introduced the concept of affective publics in 2015, opens the volume. While the development of the concept itself was inspired by the protests during the Arab Uprisings as a time of global solidarity and a revival of political engagement offering a great diversity of participation and public articulation, the positive connotation of the affective nature of publics came to an end with Trumpism, Brexit, and the massive visibility of alt-right actors: Affective publics now appear mainly as a fright and threat to democracies worldwide. Papacharissi describes her understanding of affect as intensity, not being directed. It is the context, which shapes the direction—either to new forms of participation or to exclusions by outrageous articulation of far-right actors. In dialogue with Papacharissi, we elaborate on how a “turn to affect” allows for a better understanding of contemporary shifts in public formations. We discuss the ways in which characteristics of affective publics shape public forms of crisis communication and political structures today.

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