The nation’s happiness, women’s altruism and the affective politics of self-blame: Generating a ‘mood of commitment’

This article contributes to the growing interest in affect and emotions in sociological research, with a specific focus on ‘mood’, developing the concept ‘mood of commitment’. It approaches political commitment as a mood, an affective lens, a dedication to a greater cause, asking how political commitments might be a low intensity affective relationship, and also a heightening, high intensity rhythm at the same time. I conceptualise ‘mood of commitment’ as an object of analysis that can be engaged to critically understand a wide range of political commitments. This article focuses on the case of Ottoman Muslim women’s movements in the early 20th century, amid the turmoil of nationalist movements and ‘modernisation’ processes. It firstly analyses objects of desires that are circulated to be persuasive in the political movements, and attunement of women’s movements with already existing nationalist movements. It secondly unpacks the kind of work involved in claiming to be in the ‘right’ mood of commitment, emphasising the production of hegemonic positions.