Affect and subjectivity: learning to be affected in diverse economies scholarship

Affect is a powerful force in social life. It works through the body and its capacity to act, which is felt and experienced as emotions. In diverse economies scholarship, affect is seen as a means to disrupt capitalocentrism by bringing about change in economic subjectivity. Delving deeper into this process, this chapter outlines two important theories of affect for diverse economies scholars who are interested in developing and using affect as a technique of economic transformation. It then discusses the theory of learning to be affected and how diverse economies scholars are using this theory to bring about collective subjective change in their research. The author concludes with some thoughts on the important contribution of this work to scholarship on affect more generally, particularly through the elaboration of a transpersonal view of affect which is a central focus throughout this short chapter.