AHIS 25A14 - Full of Sound and Fury. Emotions and Mass Violence in the History of 20th Century Europe

Short description: Ecstatic masses, vengeful mobs, joyous soldiers, cold-blooded men following orders, terrorized victims: our understanding of Europe's experience with mass violence in the twentieth century, through revolutions, civils wars, world wars, totalitarian regimes and genocide, is informed by those ever-present images of public emotions. Far from being pure affects, natural, animal responses escaping the historian's grasp, those emotions are complex social and cultural products. How did various regimes, parties, armies, militant and paramilitary groups, try to shape, use, control emotions for and through violence? What processes and gendered emotional norms are at work in the "group dynamics" often invoked to explain the micro-dynamics of collective violence? How did new discourses and techniques of emotional management, from psychology to marketing and communication, influence those processes during this “age of the masses”? How do we understand intimacy and its articulation to political and social communities? The course will present the different theoretical approaches underpinnning the history of emotions. The collective discussion will explore what those new approaches can bring to our understanding of political violence, how they can be empirically implemented, and what methodological and conceptual challenges they offer. Most of all, the class will provide an in-depth collective reflection on the processes of mass violence, from the intimate experience with violence to its public staging and memorialization in 20th century Europe, with a particular focus on the Nazi and Soviet experiences. Course objectives: At the end of the course, the students will: Be familiar with the main approaches and methodologies in researching emotions in history Have a good understanding of the micro-dynamics of political violence Have a firm knowledge of the violent dynamics of the main wars and genocides in Europe during the 20th century Be able to critically reflect on the uses, misuses and limits of discourses of and on emotions Be able to develop a historical analysis based on the selection of appropriate sources, written and audiovisual

Masha CEROVIC,Anastasia FAIRCHILD

Cours magistral seul

English

The course is designed as an advanced undergraduate seminar in history. It will be held entirely in English. The students are expected to already have a firm grounding in modern European history and a good command of the main methods of historical research. Familiarity with sociological or anthropological theory is welcome. English language proficiency is necessary; command of any other language is welcome.

Autumn 2021-2022

The course is a reading-intensive, discussion-based seminar: all enrolled students are expected not only to attend all the weekly sessions, but to actively engage with the literature, both primary and secondary. At each session, the students are expected to have done the requested readings and to be able to critically discuss them – present the readings, explain their main points, and have personal questions, reflections or criticism of the texts. (30% of the final grade) Each student will also choose one of the sessions and write a review of that session, with a more in-depth analysis of the reading material, a summary of the class discussion, and a further contextualization of said discussion within the broader framework of the semester's discussions. (30% of the final grade) Finally, each student will also write a short essay based on the analysis of primary sources, preferably but not necessarily in relation with the above review essay. (40% of the final grade)