Offering an accessible and intriguing look at emotions in society, Sociology Through Emotions collects together contemporary qualitative research that illuminates many of sociology’s central concepts and topics, from culture, socialization, and inequality to family, crime, healthcare, religion, and social movements.
This book appeals to instructors who want to highlight the social factors that shape emotions as well as the impact of emotions on social life. It is an attractive supplement for courses on introduction to sociology, self and society, social psychology, and others focused on interaction, culture, and meaning making.
Note for Instructors
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Constraints, Agency, and Inequality: Three Ubiquitous Aspects of Society and Emotions
Part I. Socialization and Social Interaction
1. What’s in a Word?
Batja Mesquita
2. How Does It Feel to Be a Star?: Identifying Emotions on the Red Carpet
Kerry O. Ferris and Scott R. Harris
Part II. Family
3. Preventive Emotion Work: How Inequalities Are Reproduced in Parent-LGB Child Relationships
Tyler R. Flockhart
4. Emotion Work and Gender Inequality in Transnational Family Life
Sergio Chávez, Robin Paige, and Heather Edelblute
Part III. Crime and Law
5. Can’t Buy Me Love: Gift-Giving Among Members of Criminal Organizations
Shirly Bar-Lev and Michal Morag
6. Objectivity Work as Situated Emotion Management
Stina Bergman Blix and Åsa Wettergren
Part IV. Healthcare
7. Clinical Empathy as Emotional Labor in Medical Work
Alexandra H. Vinson and Kelly Underman
8. “I Can Never Be Too Comfortable”: Race, Gender, and Emotion at the Hospital Bedside
Marci D. Cottingham, Austin H. Johnson, and Rebecca J. Erickson
Part V. Religion
9. How Does Prayer Help Manage Emotions?
Shane Sharp
10. In the Name of Love: White Organizations and Racialized Emotions
Sarah Diefendorf and C. J. Pascoe
Part VI. War, Peace, And Social Movements
11. Examining Emotion as Discourse: Emotion Codes and Presidential Speeches Justifying War
Donileen R. Loseke
12. Combining Emotions: Hope, Anger, Joy, and Love in Israeli Peace Movements
Liv Halperin
Conclusion
Final Thoughts, Caveats, and Recommendations
Scott R. Harris
Index
Biography
Scott R. Harris, PhD, is a professor of sociology at Saint Louis University. He is the author of An Invitation to the Sociology of Emotions, How to Critique Journal Articles in the Social Sciences, and, with Kathy Charmaz and Leslie Irvine, The Social Self and Everyday Life: Understanding the World through Symbolic Interactionism.
He also co-edited, with Joel Best, Making Sense of Social Problems and co-authored, with Kerry Ferris, Stargazing: Celebrity, Fame, and Social Interaction. He is past editor-in-chief of the journals Symbolic Interaction and Sociology Compass.
"The Sociology Through Emotions reader, together with the textbook An Invitation to the Sociology of Emotions, is an essential toolkit for the study of the sociology of emotions. It is a dream come true for any teaching professional engaged in the study of emotions within the social sciences. The collection of texts is organized around selected topics that would typically be found in a general sociology course. These include socialization, family, crime and law, and religion. Here, society is viewed through the lens of emotions, clarifying, complementing, and ‘coloring’ social interacting contexts, norms, cultural meanings, and inequalities. Scott Harris’s carefully selected texts are based on qualitative research, but this does not limit the overall perspective, as emotions in social life play the role of a link between feeling individuals and society."
Olga A. Simonova, HSE University, Russia, Sociology of Emotions. Board Member of ISA RC RC36 Alienation Theory and Research (2023–2027)
"The relevant, timely readings assembled in Sociology Through Emotions explore the intricate relationship between emotions and sociology and offer insights into how our feelings shape social interactions. Whether used on its own or as a companion to An Invitation to the Sociology of Emotions, this collection shows how emotions provide a compelling and accessible gateway into sociological topics, concepts, and theories."
Leslie Irvine, Professor of Sociology, University of Colorado, Boulder
"Finally! A timely, thoughtful, well-curated, and – most importantly – accessible reader for today’s college students. Harris masterfully introduces undergraduates to the latest qualitative research in the Sociology of Emotions, showcased across several significant and relevant social institutions. His introductory essays in each section are engaging and provide important context in how the study of emotions extends our knowledge of social structures, institutions, and processes – and vice versa. Highly recommended!"
John R. Mitrano, Professor of Sociology, Central Connecticut State University
"A highly engaging text for introducing students to the sociology of emotions that is adaptable to courses in and outside the subfield. Harris’s approachable book and section introductions laden with relatable examples provide novices with the basics necessary to understand what’s unique about a sociological approach to emotions. The selections’ diverse topics, from war to LGB families to immigration and beyond, connect the sociology of emotions with a range of contemporary social concerns important to students. They also provide conceptual breadth by illustrating a variety of theories, such as racialized emotion work, building upon Hochschild’s original formulations of feeling rules and emotional labor. A useful resource for diverse classes and learners."
J. Lotus Seeley, Associate Professor of Sociology, Florida Atlantic University
"This compelling anthology highlights the significance of emotion in shaping human behavior. By showing how emotions serve as a gateway into understanding sociology in a range of social life, the text offers a balanced and thought-provoking exploration of why emotions matter. Sociology Through Emotions is a clear, approachable, and highly accessible textbook, making it an essential resource for the sociology of emotions and sociology more broadly."
Lisa Flower, Associate Professor of Sociology, Lund University
"This reader inspires learning. Students will enjoy the fascinating topics. Instructors will appreciate the organization, scholarship and engaging stories. It will function brilliantly as a co-facilitator for critical discussions about social life."
Nancy Berns, author of Closure: The Rush to End Grief and What It Costs Us
