Theorizing States’ Emotions1

Abstract

This article starts from the assumption that emotions are inherently part of life in the international system, but that this is not as well reflected in the discipline of International Relations. The study of emotions can be incorporated more systematically into the discipline through more rigorous theorizing about how states-as main actors in world politicsexperience and act on emotions. To do so, I draw on intergroup emotions theory, an emerging area of research in social psychology. This approach points out the process by which groups come to have emotional reactions, and from there how emotions generate intergroup perceptions and intergroup behavior-or foreign policies in the case of states. Understanding states-as-groups addresses many of the criticisms mainstream IR scholars direct toward the study of emotions, including how individual-level factors such as emotions matter for intergroup relationships.1 I would like to thank the following people for reading earlier drafts of the paper and facilitating a sharpening of the argument: Widmaier. Exchanges with Andrew Ross helped me better understand the relationship between constructivism and emotions. Positive and constructive comments from three anonymous reviewers, as well as helpful discussions with the editors, improved the presentation of the argument.

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