What is the history of anger a history of?

Thomas Dixon’s new open access research article – ‘What is the history of anger a history of?’ – is published today in the September 2020 issue of Emotions: History, Culture, Society. It is followed by responses from the psychologist Gerry Parrott and historian Barbara H. Rosenwein. In the article, Thomas argues that “anger” is not the name of a stable or universal emotional state, and that exploring the term’s history can help us be clearer and more critical about its meaning and value today.

‘A Short History of Solitude’ BBC Radio 4

A new three-part BBC Radio 4 series, ‘A Short History of Solitude’, – written and presented by Professor Thomas Dixon, begins on Monday 31st August. In the first episode, ‘Retreat’, Dixon explores some of the more extreme forms of solitude: anchorites, people who chose to be enclosed as a kind of living sacrifice to God; the hermits who sought isolation in the desert; and an artist who lived as Schrodinger’s Cat for 10 days and nights in a light- and sound-proof box.

Tune in to the series on Monday nights at 8pm on BBC Radio 4, or catch up on BBC Sounds.

The Sound of Anger Wins Two British Podcast Awards

On Saturday 11th July, the winners of the annual British Podcast Awards were announced during a virtual ceremony. The night was an enormous success for the Living With Feeling project, as The Sound of Anger received two awards, Smartest Podcast and Best Wellbeing Podcast.

The judges of the Smartest Podcast category praised The Sound of Anger’s ‘extremely smart’ sound design and ‘fascinating subject matter’, noting that the podcast ‘takes you on a journey through the expression and understanding of a very common and challenging emotion. We were angry that we couldn’t listen to more.’

On its second victory of the night, in the Best Wellbeing Podcast category, The Sound of Anger was described as a ‘focused and in-depth exploration of a familiar and difficult feeling – featuring a strong host, as well as a creative blend of sound, drama, and expert analysis. The experimental approach to this genre of podcast feels both valuable and refreshing.’

Listen to The Sound of Anger on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.

The full list of winners is available on the British Podcast Awards website.

British Podcast Awards 2020

The Sound of Anger podcast series has been nominated for three awards at the 2020 British Podcast Awards: Best Wellbeing Podcast, The Creativity Award, and Smartest Podcast.

Nominations were chosen by a panel of over sixty judges, and the results will be announced on Saturday 11th July.

The eight-part series, which explores the history, philosophy, science, and experience of anger, is available on our SoundCloud page.

More information about the British Podcast Awards, and this year’s nominations, can be found here: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/nominations-2020 

Breaking Open: Finding a Way Through Spiritual Emergency

Jules Evans’ latest publication, Breaking Open: Finding a Way Through Spiritual Emergency, co-edited with Tim Reid, is now available from Aeon Press.

Breaking Open offers an intimate examination of spiritual emergency. In each of the fourteen chapters, contributors recount their own experiences of spiritual emergency. Profoundly unsettling and difficult to process, yet also life-enhancing, spiritual emergencies can result in lasting transformations of the self.

Breaking Open is available in e-book and paperback from most booksellers.

Developing Emotions Programme – Available Now

We are delighted to announce that the Developing Emotions programme is now available to download from the ‘schools page’ of the Emotions Lab.

Over the last nine months, members of the Living With Feeling have worked with primary teachers to create the Developing Emotions programme. Split into six-units, the programme seeks to enhance schoolchildren’s emotional literacy and vocabulary through activities which draw on history, literature, art and philosophy. In February and March 2020, the lessons were trialled by eight partner schools in the TKAT multi-academy trust.

You can read more about the Developing Emotions programme on our blog. To download the resources, register here

Who Cares? Exhibition Available Online

While the RCN Library and Heritage Centre may be closed, you can still visit the Who Cares? A History of Emotions in Nursing exhibition virtually on the Royal College of Nursing website.

The RCN Libraries team will also be organising online events linked to the exhibition, including virtual tours and discussion sessions. You can also access this reading list, which includes some key texts on the history of emotions in nursing.

Developing Emotions Pilot Programme Launches

The Developing Emotions programme, designed by members of the Living With Feeling team, is now being trialled in eight partner schools in the TKAT multi-academy trust.

Developing Emotions aims to increase primary schoolchildren’s emotional vocabularies through an engagement with the history of emotions, art, philosophy, science and literature. Over the course of the six units, children will learn new emotions words, such as melancholy and ira, and encounter a rich array of historical resources. Two versions of the programme have been created – one for year 3 pupils, and one for year 5 pupils.

You can find out more by following us on twitter at @DevelopingEmo

‘The Enigma Emotion’ – Tiffany Watt Smith Lecture for 50th Darwin College Lecture Series

Who Cares? A History of Emotions in Nursing

The Living With Feeling team has partnered with the Royal College of Nursing to create Who Cares? A History of Emotions in Nursing, a public exhibition exploring the emotions associated with nursing and care, which is now open to the public.

From concepts of religious love and faith, idealised motherhood and gendered notions of care, to the role of military discipline in the professionalisation of nursing, Who Cares? focuses on six key emotional themes: birth, death, sex, faith, war and protest.

The exhibition will be open at the Royal College of Nursing Libraries and Heritage Centre, Cavendish Square, London, until 31st December 2021. Find out more here.