For, Against, Together
-
Select format
-
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
- Publication date:
- 26 May 2026
- 11 June 2026
- ISBN:
- 9781009493741
- 9781009493758
- 9781009493734
- Dimensions:
- (229 x 152 mm)
- Weight & Pages:
- 0.756kg, 400 Pages
- Dimensions:
- (229 x 152 mm)
- Weight & Pages:
- 0.577kg, 400 Pages
- Subjects:
- Social Psychology, Political Sociology, Psychology, Sociology
You may already have access via personal or institutional login- Subjects:
- Social Psychology, Political Sociology, Psychology, Sociology
Show more authors 
You may already have access via personal or institutional login
Book description
What are antagonistic political emotions, and what do they do? This book explores how such emotions unfold within and shape the political sphere. By driving and reinforcing identities, political emotions deepen divisions and empower feelings of hatred but also establish allegiance and belonging. Contributions from leading philosophers, political theorists, and social psychologists uncover the broad range of emotions animating contemporary political life and reveal how they impact political identities while also generating both solidarity and division. The chapters trace how antagonistic emotions manifest across diverse contexts, from climate activism and online extremism to electoral politics and everyday civic engagement. The cutting-edge perspectives on the emotional foundations of political life make this volume essential reading for those seeking to understand what propels political behaviour in our polarised age. Challenging traditional binaries of positive versus negative emotions, the book shows how antagonistic feelings place us simultaneously for, against, and together.
Reviews
‘This is, somewhat sadly, a most welcome and timely volume. The editors have done a great job of securing a rich diversity of primarily philosophical, but also psychological, and sociological perspective on antagonistic political emotions. The overall approach is exceptionally critical and conceptually alert and doesn’t rest with the ‘usual suspects’ (hate, resentment, anger).’
Thomas Brudholm - Associate Professor, Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and author of Resentment’s Virtue
‘This book offers an ambitious and multi-faceted philosophical foray into the politics of emotion. Foregrounding antagonism, it offers a panoramic view of how emotions help constitute political identities, fuel commitments, structure public space, and channel collective action. A must read for anyone interested in politics and its affective underpinnings.’
Mihaela Mihai - Professor of Political Theory, School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh, UK
‘For, Against, Together uncovers the workings of antagonistic emotions in contemporary political life, from inspiring social movements to the dark corners of the Internet. Rich with new insights and timely examples, it is a book that both warns of the dangers of antagonistic emotions and finds them a place in our efforts to change the world for the better.’
Katie Stockdale - Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy, University of Victoria, Canada
Contents
Contents
Metrics
Altmetric attention score
Full text views
Full text views helpTotal number of HTML views: 0
Total number of PDF views: 0 *
Loading metrics...
* Views captured on Cambridge Core between #date#. This data will be updated every 24 hours.
Usage data cannot currently be displayed.
Accessibility standard: WCAG 2.2 AAA
Why this information is here
This section outlines the accessibility features of this content - including support for screen readers, full keyboard navigation and high-contrast display options. This may not be relevant for you.
Accessibility Information
The HTML of this book complies with version 2.2 of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), offering more comprehensive accessibility measures for a broad range of users and attains the highest (AAA) level of WCAG compliance, optimising the user experience by meeting the most extensive accessibility guidelines.
Content Navigation
Table of contents navigation
Allows you to navigate directly to chapters, sections, or non‐text items through a linked table of contents, reducing the need for extensive scrolling.
Index navigation
Provides an interactive index, letting you go straight to where a term or subject appears in the text without manual searching.
Reading Order and Textual Equivalents
Single logical reading order
You will encounter all content (including footnotes, captions, etc.) in a clear, sequential flow, making it easier to follow with assistive tools like screen readers.
Short alternative textual descriptions
You get concise descriptions (for images, charts, or media clips), ensuring you do not miss crucial information when visual or audio elements are not accessible.
Full alternative textual descriptions
You get more than just short alt text: you have comprehensive text equivalents, transcripts, captions, or audio descriptions for substantial non‐text content, which is especially helpful for complex visuals or multimedia.
Visualised data also available as non‐graphical data
You can access graphs or charts in a text or tabular format, so you are not excluded if you cannot process visual displays.
Visual Accessibility
Use of colour is not sole means of conveying information
You will still understand key ideas or prompts without relying solely on colour, which is especially helpful if you have colour vision deficiencies.
Use of high contrast between text and background colour
You benefit from high‐contrast text, which improves legibility if you have low vision or if you are reading in less‐than‐ideal lighting conditions.