Description
This contribution will sketch out a novel methodological approach for exploring the role of desire and emotion in conceptual change. It speaks to IR's growing interest in conceptual history, which has proven a valuable tool for understanding how key concepts, such as sovereignty, security, and war have evolved over time and influenced political practices. However, a limitation of existing work has been a focus on rational, conscious thought, at the expense of emotion, desire, and affectivity. While the recent "emotional turn" in IR has highlighted the need to take into account the role of emotions in political decision-making, these insights have yet to be integrated into an understanding of conceptual change. My paper argues that we need to understand how key concepts are emotionally constituted, and how their transformations are driven, not solely by rational debate, but also by emotional and affective shifts. In other words, I argue that changes in concepts must not be understood merely as changes in ideas and practices, but also as changes in feelings, desires, and emotions. This paper develops a methodological approach for advancing this angle, which will help explain political phenomena - such as the rise of national populism in countries around the world - that seem to defy reason.
