Emotional Citizens: Love, Loyalty, and Trust in Politics

Overlooked by most political scientists, modern societies know strong emotional bonds between citizens and major political representatives. Heads of state seem to be the prime objects of citizens´ affection.
They are flooded with letters (nowadays emails) voicing all kinds of concerns, material as well as immaterial. They invite direct communication by presenting themselves as fatherly (sometimes motherly) figures, sensitive to citizens´ needs and sorrows.

The project traces this relationship back to early modern practices of rule and government. It follows the development of modern politics in different constitutional forms (monarchical / republican , democratic/totalitarian ) and analyses the changing vocabulary of citizens´ emotional offerings. By focusing on love, anger, loyalty, and trust/distrust, it explores the emotional landscape of political communication and its monitoring by those in power  and those who address power. Main sources are  letters written by citizens to heads of state as well as official proclamations of the latter.