Paper short abstract:

In this paper we present a typology of transnational affect to capture the range of ways affects work to structure and reproduce forms of embodied, emotional community across borders.

Paper long abstract:

Towards a Typology of Transnational Affect

Amanda Wise and Selvaraj Velayutham

In this paper we develop a conceptual typology of what we term 'Transnational Affect'. One of the fundamental features of transnationalism is the ongoing long distance connections that exist among certain migrant populations. The field of transnational studies has offered insights into how social actors engage in everyday practices and social networks that span national borders. Transnational migrants characteristically participate in an array of activities—mediated by flows of material objects and symbolic ties—to reproduce their transnational social fields.

Scholars of transnationalism have generally understood it to be motivated by questions of identity, belonging, social memory, and sociality. However, over the last two years we have written a number of pieces which deal with the bodily and emotional (or affective) dimensions of transnational practice and have come to believe that this represents a productive new theoretical and empirical focus. We believe this approach can contribute to our collective understanding of what motivates, compels and structures transnational actors' participation in transnational social fields.

In this paper we develop the notion of transnational affect to describe this emergent field of research. We define transnational affect as the non-material and embodied experience of intensity—feelings, emotions and embodied responses—which are structured by and contribute to the perpetuation of material and symbolic transnational connections. We argue that an array of affects such as shame, honour, pride, guilt, and obligation structure inter-subjective relationships and modes of reciprocity within transnational social fields.

In this paper we present a typology of Transnational Affect to capture the range of ways affects work to structure and reproduce forms of embodied, emotional community across borders.

Dr Amanda Wise is a Research Fellow in the Centre for Research on Social Inclusion at Macquarie University. Email: amanda.wise@scmp.mq.edu.au

Dr Selvaraj Velayutham is an ARC Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the Centre for Research on Social Inclusion at Macquarie University.

Email: Selvaraj.Velayutham@scmp.mq.edu.au