What is Affect Theory?

Affect Theory is a field that gained prominence around mid-90s, influenced by thinkers like Spinoza, Deleuze, Eve Sedgwick, and Brian Massumi. Prof. Gregory Seigworth takes us through a description of what affect is and earlier attempts by Sigmund Freud to analyse affect in material terms, a project which he abandoned. We also talk about the works of Sara Ahmed and a politically engaged idea of affect.

00:00 Intro
1:30 Affect Theory in Layman's Term?
5:15 An Example of Affect
8:41 Affect Theory and Deleuze's Idea of Territorialization and Deterritorialization?
13:09 Affect Theory in Literature
15:15 Affect Theory/Affective Turn is not New.
16:09 The Book Freud Wrote and Destroyed
22:15 Affect vs Emotion
25:20 Sara Ahmed's Cultural Politics of Emotions, Affect, and Politics of Racism/White Supremacy
28:23 Affect Theory and COVID-19
29:20 Affect Theory and Bruno Latour