ABSTRACT
A strong case is made in this chapter for an explicit articulation of the political sociology of emotions as a sub-field of the ‘emotions sociology’ or the sociology of emotions. It is not only that many political sociologists and political theorists have carved out the space for such a disciplinary sub-field; it is also the hitherto fast growth of the sociology of emotions itself which has led to an over-diversified thematic agenda that begs for internal formatting. Far from reducing politics to affectivity, the political sociology of emotions is coterminous with political sociology itself plus the emotive angle added in the investigation of its traditional and more recent areas of research. Its raw material are political emotions, defined as lasting affective predispositions supported reciprocally by the political and social norms of a given society, playing a key role in the constitution of its political culture and the authoritative allocation of resources. Political cynicism is exemplified as a case of complex political emotion.
