Feeling Policy: How Emotions Shape Health Discourses

Presented by Professor Michael Orsini (University of Ottawa).

Drawing on the case of “obesity”, I explore the emotions and affects that characterize this highly contentious policy field. I begin from the premise that we need to think with emotions and affects, and examine how attention to intersections of race, gender, class, and ability can guide us to how emotions are mobilized in politics. Exploring this line of inquiry not only highlights the role of emotions in scholarly debates about intersectionality but also provides a range of practical insights that are of direct relevance to public debates and policy making.

Michael Orsini is Professor at the Institute of Feminist and Gender Studies and the School of Political Studies at the University of Ottawa (Canada). He in primarily interested in critical approaches to policy and politics, and the role of marginalized communities in policy making.