Debate: Good Feelings – The History of Emotions in Times of Crisis; On Positive and Negative Emotions in US History
Good Feelings – The History of Emotions in Times of Crisis
The future seems to be filled with ominous signs at the moment. Wars, catastrophes, and rapidly changing world politics cause fears and suffering. Negative emotions seem to constantly accompany us in our daily lives, and influence our behavior. The events of the recent past, as well as the expectations for the coming years, affect many of us historians in our professional work as well as in our professional identity.
H-Soz-Kult, 02.12.2025, https://www.hsozkult.de/debate/id/fddebate-158396.
On Positive and Negative Emotions in US History
In the spring of 2025, Elon Musk declared, “The fundamental weakness of Western civilization is empathy.” (…) This turn on empathy is both alarming and surprising. The term is a relatively new one in English, having only entered the language in the early twentieth century. In the intervening years its meaning evolved considerably, but it has come to denote the ability “to grasp another’s emotions.” Historian Susan Lanzoni has traced its history, showing how, in the decades after World War II, Americans came to strongly embrace empathy, believing that it was an essential tool for social harmony, civil rights, equality, and progress. (…) This growing cultural and political divide over empathy demonstrates how quickly the valence of a feeling can change, and how contested such transformations are.
H-Soz-Kult, 02.12.2025, https://www.hsozkult.de/debate/id/fddebate-158397.