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When people predicate their politics only on what they feel and can no longer be swayed by expertise, reason or facts, what results would seem the most unfeeling sort of politics. Rage, resentment, hysteria, guilt, shame, all figure highly in our conflicted times, as does the intemperate adoration of popular figures. A Pandora's box of furies has opened up. But if it's too late now to put those furies back, might anything else be done with them?
This issue of Granta looks at the ways we feel politically - and asks whether it's possible to feel any other way. Adam Phillips analyses politics in the consulting room, Roxane Gay considers 'unfeeling', Peter Pomerantsev unearths his data profile to conduct sentiment analysis, Margie Orford explores shame in South Africa, Joff Winterhart graphically imagines road rage, Pankaj Mishra reflects on bodily decadence, Josh Cohen inspects his own apathy, Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor witnesses devastation, David Baddiel probes the outrage of life online. With new fiction from Olga Tokarczuk, Ben Markovits, Deborah Levy, Hanif Kureishi and new poetry from Nick Laird and Alissa Quart.
About the author
Devorah Baum is associate professor in English literature at the University of Southampton. She is the author of
Feeling Jewish (A Book for Just About Anyone) and
The Jewish Joke, and co-director of the documentary feature film
The New Man.
Josh Appignanesi is a film-maker whose directing credits include the feature films
Female Human Animal,
The Infidel,
The New Man and
Song Of Songs. He is a lecturer in Film at Roehampton University, and teaches at the London Film School and other institutions.
