Emotion and social theory : corporeal reflections on the (Ir) rational / Simon J. Williams.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Acknowledgements -- Preface -- 1. Introduction: why emotions, why now? -- 2. Modernity and its discontents: reason versus emotion? -- 3. Biology versus society? -- 4. Experiencing emotions: the lived body -- 5. Desire, excess and the transgression of corporeal boundaries -- 6. Gender and the transformation of intimacy: a 'stalled revolution'? -- 7. 'Manufactured' emotions? the '(un)managed heart' revisited -- 8. Conclusion -- References -- Index.

"The emotions have traditionally been marginalized in mainstream social theory. This book demonstrates the problems that this has caused and charts the resurgence of emotions in social theory today.; ; Drawing on a wide variety of sources, both classical and contemporary, Simon Williams treats the emotions as a universal feature of human life and our embodied relationship to the world. He reflects and comments upon the turn towards the body and intimacy in social theory, and explains what is important in current thinking about emotions. In his doing so, readers are provided with a critical assessment of various positions within the field, including the strengths and weaknesses of poststructuralism and postmodernism for examining the emotions in social life.; ; Written in an accessible, engaging style, this comprehensive book will appeal to undergraduate and postgraduate students as well as researchers, lecturers and professionals with an interest in the subject. The book caters for an interdisciplinary market, including sociology, anthropology, philosophy, social history, cultural studies, gender studies, social psychology and health studies."--Publisher description.

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