Transformative potentiality of “negative affects”. The revolutionary force of viscerality

Abstract

With the aim of reflecting on the philosophical and political potential of “negative” affects, I am interested in rethinking the social role of these affects, starting from addressing the effects, in terms of agency, that they can foster in the political sphere. To do this, I will begin with a brief characterization of the implications of the concept of “waves” of feminism, to broadly understand the historical changes achieved by feminist struggles and activism. In this sense, I will situate myself in the “fourth wave” of feminism to address the notions linked to the affective turn, based on the strong questioning that this theoretical matrix poses to the notion of linear temporality. Finally, I will analyze the potential that “negative” affects carry in the political scene, from highlighting the strong revolutionary tone that these emotions, as expressions of viscerality, can have in the transformation of society when they break into public order.