The Affects of Change: An Ethnography of the Affective Experiences of the 2013 Military Intervention in Egypt
(2021) In Anthropology, Change, and Development p.237-255- Abstract
- In this chapter the author discusses the difficulties of exploring the ethnography of events as they are happening, especially when they are violent, not least due to the lack of reliable information available and the complex process of interpreting transmissions of affect. The epistemological turn away from language—in which the focus on affect has emerged as a critique of post-structuralism’s inability to recognize the prediscursive forces that also shape the body—is, the author argues, imperative, as using the framework of affect theory and new materialism allows us to assess societies in flux as long as our material is grounded in empirical research. Examining the material consequences of recent uprisings in the Middle East and North... (More)
- In this chapter the author discusses the difficulties of exploring the ethnography of events as they are happening, especially when they are violent, not least due to the lack of reliable information available and the complex process of interpreting transmissions of affect. The epistemological turn away from language—in which the focus on affect has emerged as a critique of post-structuralism’s inability to recognize the prediscursive forces that also shape the body—is, the author argues, imperative, as using the framework of affect theory and new materialism allows us to assess societies in flux as long as our material is grounded in empirical research. Examining the material consequences of recent uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region may provide a way of addressing key methodological issues in qualitative research in innovative and creative ways. In her ongoing project in Egypt, the author has identified the materialization of a certain clustering of affect by spending time with Cairenes during violent uprisings and her own lived experiences at such intense and uncertain moments, especially from the summer of 2013 and onwards. Starting with an inquiry into the material affective consequences—in particular changes to the vibration of sound but also encompassing other materialized experiences—this chapter reflects upon how the author’s attempt to formulate alternative methods of inquiry, anchored in affects and the body as a way of studying affective politics and the tangible emotions that resonate with and transform everyday engagements in a transitional country, provides useful tools for the study of change in the making. (Less)
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- author
- Malmström, Maria LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2021
- type
- Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- violent change, Egypt, body, ethnography of affects, rythmanalysis
- host publication
- Methodological Approaches to Societies in Transformation : How to Make Sense of Change - How to Make Sense of Change
- series title
- Anthropology, Change, and Development
- editor
- Berriane, Yasmine ; Derks, Annuska ; Kreil, Aymon and Lüddeckens, Dorothea
- edition
- 1
- pages
- 237 - 255
- publisher
- Palgrave Macmillan
- ISBN
- 978-3-030-65067-4
- 978-3-030-65066-7
- 978-3-030-65069-8
- DOI
- 10.1007/978-3-030-65067-4_10
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- b8d0b41d-d6e0-4bea-b8cf-38d1ee1f288f
- date added to LUP
- 2021-11-10 12:38:48
- date last changed
- 2023-08-07 16:03:47
@inbook{b8d0b41d-d6e0-4bea-b8cf-38d1ee1f288f, abstract = {{In this chapter the author discusses the difficulties of exploring the ethnography of events as they are happening, especially when they are violent, not least due to the lack of reliable information available and the complex process of interpreting transmissions of affect. The epistemological turn away from language—in which the focus on affect has emerged as a critique of post-structuralism’s inability to recognize the prediscursive forces that also shape the body—is, the author argues, imperative, as using the framework of affect theory and new materialism allows us to assess societies in flux as long as our material is grounded in empirical research. Examining the material consequences of recent uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region may provide a way of addressing key methodological issues in qualitative research in innovative and creative ways. In her ongoing project in Egypt, the author has identified the materialization of a certain clustering of affect by spending time with Cairenes during violent uprisings and her own lived experiences at such intense and uncertain moments, especially from the summer of 2013 and onwards. Starting with an inquiry into the material affective consequences—in particular changes to the vibration of sound but also encompassing other materialized experiences—this chapter reflects upon how the author’s attempt to formulate alternative methods of inquiry, anchored in affects and the body as a way of studying affective politics and the tangible emotions that resonate with and transform everyday engagements in a transitional country, provides useful tools for the study of change in the making.}}, author = {{Malmström, Maria}}, booktitle = {{Methodological Approaches to Societies in Transformation : How to Make Sense of Change}}, editor = {{Berriane, Yasmine and Derks, Annuska and Kreil, Aymon and Lüddeckens, Dorothea}}, isbn = {{978-3-030-65067-4}}, keywords = {{violent change; Egypt; body; ethnography of affects; rythmanalysis}}, language = {{eng}}, pages = {{237--255}}, publisher = {{Palgrave Macmillan}}, series = {{Anthropology, Change, and Development}}, title = {{The Affects of Change: An Ethnography of the Affective Experiences of the 2013 Military Intervention in Egypt}}, url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65067-4_10}}, doi = {{10.1007/978-3-030-65067-4_10}}, year = {{2021}}, }