Introduction

This chapter leads both to a discovery of “forgotten” sociological theories, and to an updating of classical texts in the light of the dynamics of contemporary society. Sociology plays a crucial role in emphasizing how emotional expressions affect social dynamics, focusing on the ways in which subjects show or decide to show a specific emotional behavior based on the social and historical context in which they act. It aims to guide the reader to an in-depth understanding of social reality through the interpretative lens of emotional manifestations, through an analysis of the very first sociology studies, thus demonstrating how attention to the subject’s emotional forms of action was already present in classics of the discipline. It is a research endeavor that demonstrates how critical emotions have always been for sociology since its birth. However it is still possible to state that, nowadays, sociology of emotions finally enjoys a sociological prestige, not only in the USA, but also in Latin America.