Josh Rubin | Structures of feeling: Understanding the feelings that shape our choices and the choices that shape our feelings

It is widely recognized that we are presently living through a moment of profound social upheaval. What does this moment feel like and how do our feelings of this moment shape our behavior? In this presentation, socio-cultural anthropologist Josh Rubin introduces participants to an exciting concept in social theory called 'structures of feeling'--simply put, how the conditions in which we live produce patterns in our feelings and emotions. With the aid of straightforward examples and comprehensible language, this presentation will show how attendees can use this concept to name their feelings more precisely, identify the social conditions that produce those feelings, and to act more intentionally in response to those feelings when they are felt. This presentation is an extended version of one that was given at the Maine Humanities Council's "Big Question" event of 2024.