The analysis of the emotions is an interdisciplinary project and this book, The Sociology of Emotions: Feminist, Cultural and Sociological Perspectives, brings together a range of different perspectives in the process. These include feminist, cultural and sociological perspectives. Some describe the emotions as a ‘subfield’ of major disciplinary areas such as sociology and cultural studies. Others draw on the theorization and conceptualization of the emotions as developing and amplifying other disciplinary areas such as feminism.

Emotions have been the subject of extensive interdisciplinary analysis over the last 25 years, much of which has drawn on the intersection of sociology and the emotions, including Barbalet (2002, 2004), Shields (2002), Denzin (2007), Brooks (2014), Lemmings and Brooks (2014) and Jacobsen (2019). These are just a small number of the extensive range of publications in the field.

In this book the author focuses on an analysis of contemporary models and thinkers in the field. While there is an acknowledgement of classical thinkers and perspectives in the field, the focus is on more recent thinkers from across sociology, cultural theory and feminism. Many have made a significant contribution to the field of emotions and have produced an interdisciplinary and vibrant disciplinary field.

The book considers three dimensions in the analysis of emotions: the first considers conceptualizing emotions; the second considers theorizing emotions; and the third analyzing emotions.

• • In conceptualizing emotions, the book explores the language of emotions looking at macro and micro framing of emotions, including: emotions in modernity and in late modernity; emotional labour; emotional capital and emotional commodities; positive and negative emotions; gender and emotions; masculinity and emotions; love, intimacy and emotions.

• • The theorizing of emotions has been slow compared to other areas of theoretical development in sociology. However, both classical and contemporary sociological theories show an understanding of emotions.

• This is captured across a range of social theories which will be covered throughout the book. Powell and Gilbert (2008: 394) note that the theorizing of emotions has been developing, but is still on the periphery of social theorizing (Layder, 2004, 2006). Both classical and contemporary social theorizing have indications of understanding the emotions theoretically and this includes for classical social theories – the rise of Enlightenment philosophy and additionally Kant's analysis of rationality (see Chapter 2).