Introduction

The introductory chapter opens with an examination of the idea of movement as reflected in the etymology of the term “emotion” and of the relationships between emotions, historical motivations, and history understood as a record of change. The authors present a range of observations related to the idea of affective motivations in history and political realities of the present. In the chapter’s second part, the editors outline the main subjects, themes, objectives, and methodologies found in the volume. The introduction provides an outline of the volume’s structure and principal issues explored in its individual chapters.