Grasping the affirmative: Power and the process of becoming joyful academic subjects. (August 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Moss, Pamela; Kern, Leslie; Hawkins, Roberta; Al-Hindi, Karen Falconer
• Is Part Of: Emotion, space and society. Volume 28(2018)
• Page Start: 53
• Page End: 59
• Publication Date: 2018-08
• Subjects: Becoming -- Braidotti -- Collective biography -- Joy -- Subjectivity; Emotions -- Periodicals; Spatial behavior -- Periodicals; Space perception -- Periodicals; 152.4
• DOI: 10.1016/j.emospa.2018.06.008
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1755-4586

Abstract

Abstract: We investigate becoming joyful subjects in academia among feminist geographers using the methodology of collective biography. Collective biography uses the researchers' own written memories about a set of experiences as texts for analysis. This paper brings together ideas about ontological positivity and power and applies them to the process of subjectification. We use the concepts potentia and potestas to explore force relations that generate particular subjects: here, joyful ones. We suggest that the generation of joyful subjects, even momentarily, helps to sustain the possibility of an affirmative politics. Joy, as an effect of the positivity of power, offers one pathway towards engaging varied feminist world-making projects within the academy, and beyond. Highlights: Joyful academic subjects emerge through everyday relationships. Focusing on joyful academic subjects can enable an affirmative politics. Tracing flows of force relations shows how joyful academic subjects can emerge. Tracing potentia and potestas is empirically challenging. Embracing joyful moments helps feminists to foster different world-making projects.