How can we study the emotions of people who lived centuries or millennia ago? The History of Emotions Symposium addresses this question from an interdisciplinary perspective, bringing together scholars from neuroscience, history, literature, and language technology. The Symposium aims to dig deeper into the history of emotions, reaching back to ancient Mediterranean and Mesopotamian civilizations.
The Symposium is organised by the Centre of Excellence in Ancient Near Eastern Empires (University of Helsinki), the Brain and Mind Laboratory at the Aalto University, and the Aalto University Experience Platform.
For more information, see https://www.helsinki.fi/en/conferences/history-of-emotions-symposium
Program
Wednesday 7 November (chair Mikko Sams)
13:00 Saana Svärd (University of Helsinki) & Mikko Sams (Aalto University): Welcoming words
13:20 William M. Reddy (Duke University): Problems of Change and Periodization in the History of Emotions
14:20 Heini Saarimäki (Aalto University): Neural Basis of Emotions: Experimental Methods in Affective Neuroscience
15:20 Coffee
15:50 Krista Lagus (University of Helsinki): Title TBC
16:50 Jussi Pakkasvirta (University of Helsinki): National Emotions and Stereotypes in Finnish Social Media: Case Latin America
Thursday 8 November (chair Krister Lindén)
10:00 Coffee
10:30 Ville Vuolanto (University of Tampere): Hope and Everyday Life: Emotions and the Future in the Roman World
11:30 Andrew Crislip (Virginia Commonwealth University / University of Helsinki): Feeling Like a Christian in the Roman Empire
12:30 Break
14:00 Ulrike Steinert (Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz): Perceptions of Selfhood in Ancient Mesopotamia: The Body, Emotions and Identity
15:00 Tero Alstola, Heidi Jauhiainen, Aleksi Sahala, and Krister Lindén (University of Helsinki): Language Technological Analysis of Emotion Words in Akkadian
16:00 Concluding discussion