Conference “Mobilizing Affect – Affective Mobilization”
About the conference
The Collaborative Research Center “Affective Societies” at FU Berlin is organizing its annual conference in cooperation with our research project “Image Protests on Social Media” at TU Dresden and ICI Berlin Institute for Cultural Inquiry. It takes place from May 21st - 23rd 2025 at ICI (Christinenstr. 18-19, Haus 8, D-10119 Berlin).
The conference “Mobilizing Affect – Affective Mobilization” explores the powerful role of affect and emotion in driving social and political mobilization. It examines the dynamics of affect in prompting (political) action, shaping activist practices, and sustaining social movements. In the context of global crises, disputes over inequalities, identities, and rights are intensifying, while affects and emotions are increasingly becoming subjects of negotiation and social conflict. At the same time, affect is not only a driving force for progressive activism but also plays a crucial role in the rise of authoritarian and right-wing movements. Featuring contributions from academics, activists, and artists, the conference aims to deepen the understanding of the role of affect in mobilizing social transformation — across the political spectrum.
With Lara Baladi, Stefanie de Velasco, Aletta Diefenbach, Fadia Elgharib, Michal Givoni, Marina Guzzo, Jonas Harbke, Clare Hemmings, Billy Holzberg, Gesa Jessen, Simon Koschut, Cesy Leonard, Margreth Lünenborg, Ani Makhashvili, Dominik Mattes, Carolyn Pedwell, Kerstin Schankweiler, Tanja-Bianca Schmidt, Verena Straub und Sinthujan Varatharajah.
Programme
The programme is downloadable here.
The abstracts for the events and the CVs of the artists and researchers are downloadable here.
Further Information
Download the conference poster here: Poster Mobilizing Affect
Adress of the ICI: Christinenstr. 18-19, Haus 8, D-10119 Berlin
The conference will be held in English.
Registration opens on 6 May 2025 and will be available on the ICI's website.
