The Sociology of Science and Emotions

Between hope and boredom: Attending to long-term related emotions in participatory environmental monitoring programmes

“…Science is still commonly regarded as a realm of reason that leaves little, if any, place to emotions. However, the crucial role of emotions in scientists' everyday life has gradually been recognized and highlighted (Barbalet, 2002;Parker and Hackett, 2014;Waquet, 2019).…”

“…We focus here on the emotional dimension of this work. Emotions are increasingly acknowledged as playing a major and pervasive role in scientific activities in general (Barbalet, 2002;Parker and Hackett, 2014) and in participatory monitoring in particular (Lorimer, 2008).…”

“…The present article seeks to contribute to the burgeoning body of literature about the interplay between emotions and science (Parker and Hackett, 2014) by exploring the emotions and emotional work associated with the long-term perspectives of environmental monitoring programmes. We explored long-term related emotions and emotional work performed by the programme managers in two programmes involving participants through their professional activities in France.…”

Casualties of debate: A critique of the sociology of emotion

“…While Stets () assumes that the reluctance to examine the “neurology of emotions” or the “sub‐cortical” areas of the brain is a result of constructionist perspectives, I would argue that this neglect is more related to a dogged persistence to maintain our positions as sociologists. A sociological analysis, as it were, might productively center on why social scientists are suddenly hung up on “hominid” and “human neuro‐anatomy,” or why there appears to be such an aversion to the study of how social life shapes such matters (Handel, Cahill, & Elkin, ) and our understanding of them (Gergen, ; Martin, ; Parker & Hackett, ).…”

From Affect to Action: Choices in Attending to Disconcertment in Interdisciplinary Collaborations

“…Furthermore, our efforts to capture the fleeting nature of disconcertment contribute to the "affective turn" (Kerr and Garforth 2015, 3) in STS-a renewed interest in affective entanglements and embodied ways of knowing in science (Collins 2010;Fitzgerald 2013;Myers 2012;Pickersgill 2012) dating back to Max Weber, Ludwig Fleck, and Robert Merton (Barbalet 2002;Parker and Hackett 2014). By characterizing the nature and effects of disconcertment, we seek to advance ongoing discussions on the methodological and analytical relevance of affects in research and interdisciplinary collaboration (Boix Mansilla, Lamont, and Sato 2015;Fitzgerald et al 2014;Griffin, Bränström-Ö hman, and Kalman 2013;Hillersdal et al 2020;Parker and Hackett 2012).…”