Democratic politics in many parts of the world seems increasingly characterised by intense emotions, bitter divisions and growing polarisation. Amidst this charged political atmosphere it is a common refrain that an emotional politics forfeits rational dialogue and threatens our democracy. In contrast to such claims this article argues that emotions are central to citizenship and political participation. Drawing upon qualitative archival material from the British Mass Observation Project (1983–2017) the article explores the enduring emotional dimensions of dutiful citizenship. Civically engaged respondents experienced electoral politics emotionally and with a striking intensity. In contrast to accounts which associate dutiful citizenship with dry notions of duty, responsibility and obligation, this article begins an exploration of the emotional underpinnings of dutiful citizenship; the deep and abiding feelings citizens can have towards democratic politics and their political engagement. Findings indicate that a wide range of emotions are central to the evaluative and sense-making processes of dutiful citizens and the ways in which they are mobilised for sustained political engagement. The article concludes by suggesting that a focus on the emotional and expressive aspects of dutiful citizenship may help to cultivate committed young democrats for the future.

中文翻译：

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“我确实为我认识的几乎所有人都投票而感到自豪”：尽职尽责的公民的情感基础


世界许多地方的民主政治似乎越来越以强烈的情绪、激烈的分歧和日益严重的两极分化为特征。在这种紧张的政治氛围中，人们普遍认为，情绪化的政治会丧失理性对话并威胁到我们的民主。与这些说法相反，本文认为情感是公民身份和政治参与的核心。本文借鉴了英国大众观察项目（British Mass Observation Project，1983-2017）的定性档案材料，探讨了尽职尽责的公民身份的持久情感维度。公民参与的受访者在情感上体验了选举政治，并且具有惊人的强度。与将尽职尽责的公民身份与义务、责任和义务等枯燥的概念联系起来的叙述相反，本文开始探索尽职尽责的公民身份的情感基础;公民对民主政治及其政治参与的深刻而持久的感情。研究结果表明，广泛的情绪对于尽职尽责的公民的评估和意义建构过程以及他们动员持续参与政治的方式至关重要。文章最后建议，关注尽职公民的情感和表达方面可能有助于培养面向未来的坚定年轻民主人士。