Structure of Feeling
Explanatory Text (English)
"Structure of Feeling" is a key concept in cultural theory used to describe the emergent, shared, yet pre-articulate social experience of a specific generation or historical period. It represents the culture as it is lived in a particular moment, encompassing the inchoate emotional tenor, subtle social rhythms, and implicit, pervasive values that are still in the process of formation—"not yet fully articulate and fixed forms," but actively shaping perception and interaction. As a concept, it captures the social atmosphere as a dynamic, historical process that exists between formal ideology and individual subjective experience. It is crucial for analyzing the affective qualities of social change, distinguishing the deeply embedded feelings of a collective from formalized doctrines or transient moods.
