Introduction to Dialogues: Black affective experiences in politics

ABSTRACT

What role might emotions play in Black public opinion and political decision-making? Extant literature in political psychology and Black politics provide us with incomplete answers to this question. While political psychology scholars have only recently begun to explore collective emotional experiences in the form of affective polarization, scholars of Black politics have largely relied on cognitive understandings of racial identity (i.e., linked fate) and its implications for policy opinions and political participation. A burgeoning body of literature in Black politics is beginning to fill these voids. This Dialogue section is devoted to understanding how emotions like pride, anger, sadness, and fear shape Black politics. Through the use of cutting edge survey experiments, these articles address the role of emotions in reactions to police killing unarmed individuals, political ambition, and political mobilization via micro-targeting in campaign advertisements. This Dialogue section will provide a critical interjection in the field as we aim to understand the political implications of the emotions of Black people who seem to be experiencing increasing levels of trauma on a daily basis.