1st Edition
Emotions as Commodities Capitalism, Consumption and Authenticity
Introduction: Emodities or the Making of Emotional Commodities
Eva Illouz
Part I: Liberating the Self: Emotional Experiences and Moods
"It is All Included - Without the Stress": Exploring the Production of Relaxation in Club Med Seaside Resorts
Yaara Benger Alaluf
Emotional Ear Drops: the Music Industry and Technologies of Emotional Management
Ori Schwarz
Cinema as an Emotional Commodity- the Horror Genre and the Commodification of Fear
Daniel Gilon
Sex cards in Tel Aviv: Mood work, Recreational Sexuality and Urban atmospheres
Dana Kaplan
Part II: Ideal of Intimacy: Relational Emotions
Understanding Authenticity in Commercial Sentiment: The Greeting Card as Emotional Commodity
Emily West
Part III: The Ideal of Mental Health and Self-Improvement: Emotional Self-Monitoring as Commodity
(Ex)changing Feelings: On the Commodification of Emotions in Psychotherapy
Mattan Shachak
"Psytizens", or the Construction of Happy Individuals in Neoliberal Societies
Edgar Cabanas
Toward a Post Normative Critique of Emotional Authenticity: Conclusion
Eva Illouz
Biography
Eva Illouz is Rose Isaacs Professor of Sociology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel and Directrice d'Etudes at the EHESS, Paris.
Eva Illouz, one of sociology’s most innovative thinkers, brings together an engaging group of scholars to explore the complex relations between our consumption practices and the world of emotion. Framed by Illouz’ theoretical vision, Emotions as Commodities takes us into a varied tour that includes Club Med resorts, Israeli sex cards, greeting cards, psychotherapy and more. The book contributes to the sociology of consumption markets but its insights will also appeal to a general audience.
Viviana A. Zelizer is Lloyd Cotsen ’50 Professor of Sociology at Princeton University. She is the author of Economic Lives: How Culture Shapes the Economy.
Through intriguing theoretical discussions and fascinating empirical case studies, this book throws new light on the paradox of contemporary capitalism furthering both increased rationalization and an unprecedented intensification of emotional life. A must read for sociologists, marketing scholars and anyone interested in contemporary consumer capitalism, a culture ever more centered on emotional commodities or ‘emodities’.
Adam Arvidsson, Associate Professor, Department of Social and Political Sciences, University of Milano, Italy
