The History of Emotions in a Postcolonial Context
When it comes to historical accounts of colonialism, many records concentrate on its violent nature. However, recent trends in research have been documenting the more emotional aspects of the anti-colonial struggle. In the late 1970s, the emerging field of research known as the ‘history of emotions’ came into practice. ‘History of Emotions’ is concerned with human emotions and experiences how they can influence human behaviour and action. Negative emotions such as anxiety, fear, and guilt have been common themes surrounding the history of colonial empires. A good example of this is the colonial relations between Britain and India. How do emotions guide political action throughout both nations’ histories? To explore this concept, Dr. Kama Maclean, Associate Professor of South Asian and World History at the University of New South Wales, was on-the-air with Drive.
