Emotions in American History: An International Assessment

The study of emotions has attracted anew the interest of scholars in various disciplines, igniting a lively public debate on the constructive and destructive power of emotions in society as well as within each of us. Most of the contributors to this volume do not hail from the United States but look at the nation from abroad. They explore the role of emotions in history and ask how that exploration changes what we know about national and international history, and in turn how that affects the methodological study of history. In particular they focus on emotions in American history between the 18th century and the present: in war, in social and political discourse, as well as in art and the media. In addition to case studies, the volume includes a review of their fields by senior scholars, who offer new insights regarding future research projects.

Jessica C.E. Gienow-Hecht is Professor of International History at the University of Cologne. She has previously taught at the universities of Virginia, Bielefeld, Halle-Wittenberg, Frankfurt am Main, and Harvard. Her publications include Decentering America (ed., Berghahn Books, 2007), Culture and International History (co-ed., Berghahn Books, 2003), and Transmission Impossible (Louisiana State University Press, 1999). Her second monograph, Sound Diplomacy: Music and Emotions in Transatlantic Relations, 1850-1920 (University of Chicago Press) won the Choice Outstanding Academic Title Award 2009.