Can emotions be studied historically the same way we study wars, policies, and revolutions? What can the history of emotions teach us about empathy, cultural change, and human experience?

Barbara H. Rosenwein is an internationally renowned historian and professor emerita at Loyola University Chicago. She is best known for pioneering the field of the history of emotions. Author of Emotional Communities in the Early Middle Ages and co-author of What is the History of Emotions?, Barbara has reshaped the way historians think about feelings, not as fleeting inner states, but as socially shared, culturally constructed, and politically significant forces across time.

In this episode, we explore how emotions have been expressed, controlled, and interpreted across historical periods and cultures. Barbara walks us through the idea of “emotional communities,” the groups of people who share norms about emotional expression, and how they function similarly to linguistic or political communities. From medieval monastic silence to modern internet outrage, we trace how emotional norms are shaped by power structures, social expectations, and historical context. This conversation is not just about the past. It is a lens for understanding today’s polarized world, where emotional expression continues to play a central role in shaping identity, morality, and belonging.