Affective Worldmaking

1. Why did you choose this topic?

We are interested in understanding how narratives shape readers' worlds, how they challenge existing notions of gender and sexuality, and how they potentially generate a sense of belonging. Our work in this book is motivated by an attempt to theorize the dynamics that allow narratives to do something to and with us and to see how narratives in different genres (novels, newspapers, social media, theatre, film, and art installations) affect us in particular ways.

2. What new perspectives does your book offer?

This book introduces the concept of affective worldmaking which promotes a better understanding of the critical intersections between affect and narrative. Affective worldmaking is a concept that describes the ways in which narratives about cultural traditions, community practices, and kinship rituals shape audiences' sense of belonging. These are, however, not only individual responses; they also hold the potential to mobilize the formation of publics which cohere around a gendered belonging.

3. What makes your topic relevant for current research debates?

Questions concerning the cultural work gendered narratives do have a robust tradition in cultural studies. The queer feminist approaches at the foundation of the individual chapters' inquires bring together affect studies with narrative theory across different genres, media, and cultural contexts. This is also reflected on the level of the book's organization: the combination of critical analyses and creative texts facilitates novels insights into the affective power of narratives.

4. Choose one person you would like to discuss your book with!

Since so much about this book is motivated by our interest in what moves audiences and how they enter into a relationship with narratives: anybody who has felt a deep connection to narrative and is eager to share that experience!

5. Your book summary in one sentence:

»Affective Worldmaking« offers 18 different answers to the question how narratives about gender and sexuality generate multi-facetted senses of belonging.