Heike Paul is chair of American studies and speaker of the DFG Research Training Group 2726 »The Sentimental in Literature, Culture and Politics« at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg.
Sarah Pritz studied German studies and sociology at Universität Wien. She received her doctorate from Universität Hamburg in 2021. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher in the interdisciplinary DFG Research Training Group 2726 »The Sentimental in Literature, Culture and Politics« at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg.

The word »state« has a double meaning, signifying both a condition and a political entity. Starting from this observation, the contributors to this volume provide a cross-cultural and cross-media discussion of the role of the sentimental in political culture. In their case studies from all over the world, they focus on sentimental politics of order and belonging in processes and constellations of community building. They analyze sentimental encodings used in symbolic interactions, ranging from foundational narratives and state-orchestrated public rituals to visualizations of citizenship and protest movements.